Tin-: 


WASHINGTON  AND  OHIO 


RAILROAD. 


A  GLANCE  AT  THE  COUNTRY  THROUGH  WHICH  IT  PASSES, 

BETWEEN 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C; 

AND 

THE  OHIO  RIVER, 

.  A  DISTANCE  OP 

3  2  5    MI  L  E  S . 


P  II  1  L  A  D  K  L  P  IT  I  A  : 
COLLINS,  PRINTER,  705  JAYNE  STREET 
1873. 


THE 


WASHINGTON  AND  OHIO  RAILROAD  SCHEDULE. 


Leave  ALEXANDEIA  at  8.45  A.  M.  and  4.00  P.  M. 
Pass  LEESBURG  "  11.00  A.  M.   "   6.00  P.  M. 

Arrive  at  HAMILTON  "  11.20  A.  M.  "  6.35  P.  M. 
Leave  HAMILTON  "    5.40  A.  M.   "  12.20  P.  M. 

Pass  LEESBURG  "    6.00  A.  M.   "  12.55  P.  M. 

Arrive  at  ALEXANDRIA  "    8.15  A.  M.   "   3.15  P.  M. 

* 

The  8.45  A.  M.  train  from  Alexandria  and  the  12.20  P.  M.  train  from  Hamil- 
ton connect  (at  Hamilton)  with  Kemp's  daily  line  of  Coaches  for  Purcellville, 
Round  Hill,  Snic^ersville,  Berryville,  and  Winchester. 

The  4.00  P.  M.  train  from  Alexandria  and  5.40  A.  M.  train  from  Hamilton 
make  close  connection  at  Washington  Junction  with  trains  to  and  from  Wash- 
ington City. 


Commutation  Tickets,  Three  Cents  per  mile. 
Annual  Tickets,  Sixty  Dollars. 


R.  H.  HAVENER, 

General  Superintendent. 


THE 


WASHINGTON  AND  OHIO 


RAILROAD. 


A  GLANCE  AT  THE  COUNTRY  THROUGH  WHICH  IT  PASSES, 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C, 


THE  OHIO  EIVEih  3 


r. 


A  DISTANCE  OF 


325  MILES. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
COLLINS,  PRINTER,  705  JAYNE  STREET. 


3  9 


THE 


WASHINGTON  AND  OHIO  RAIL  ROAD, 


OFFICERS  AND  DIRECTORS. 


President. 


Lewis  McKenzie. 


Clerk  and  Treasurer. 

Reuben  Johnston,  Alexandria,  Va. 

Chief  Engineer. 

Washington  Bltthe,  Alexandria,  Va. 


General  Superintendent. 


R.  H.  Havener, 


Alexandria,  Va. 


Directors. 


Cassius  F.  Lee, 
Andrew  Jamieson, 
Charles  B.  Ball, 
Henry  Heaton, 
Benjamin  Morgan, 
Richard  Henry  Lee, 
F.  W.  M.  Holliday, 


Alexandria,  Va. 
Alexandria,  Va. 
Leesburg,  Va. 
Leesburg,  Va. 
Berryville,  Va. 
Millwood,  Va, 
Winchester,  Va. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGB 


'The  National  Capital        .  .  .  »  .5 

The  route  of  "  The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,"  and  the  resources 

of  the  country  through  which  it  will  pass  ....  6 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road — Report  to  Chamber  of  Commerce 

— Indorsement  of  the  project — Speech  of  Col.  Wm.  H.  Trimble         .  12 
Board  of  Trade — Annual  Meeting  .  .14 

Washington,  D.  C.   .         .  .  .  ,  .  ,  .16 

Georgetown,  D.  C.  .  .  .  .  ,  .  .  .18 

Alexandria,  Va.      ........  18 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road       .  .  »  .  .19 

The  Orange,  Alexandria,  and  Manassas  Rail  Road  .  .  .20 

The  Alexandria  and  Fredericksburg  Railway       .  .  ,  ,  20 

The  Alexandria  and  Washington  Rail  Road        .  ,  .  .20 

The  Alexandria  Canal        ...  .  .  .  .  .21 

Manufactures  .  .  .  .  -  .  .  .  21 

Counties  :— 

Alexandria,  Va.  ......  22 

Fairfax,  Va.  .          .                 '  .          .          .  ,23 

Loudoun,  Va.  .......  46 

Clarke,  Va.  .y\  | ,         .          .         .          .  56 

Jefferson,  W.  Va.  .          .          .          .          .          .          .  58 

Frederick,  Va.  .......  58 

Hampshire,  W.  Va.  .......  60 

Hardy,  W.  Va.  ,          .          .          „          .  .63 

Crant,  W.  Va.  .          .          .          .          .          .  .65 

Pendleton,  W.  Va.  .          .          .          .          .          .  .65 

Tucker,  W.  Va.  .  .  .   67 

Randolph,  W.  Va.  .......  68 


ZGOO% 

r 


4 


PAGE 


Counties  : — 

Barbour,  W.  Va.      .  70 

Upshur,  W.  Va.  ...         .         .         .  .71 

Braxton,  W.  Ya.     .  .  .  .  .  .  .72 

'Webster,  W.  Va.     .         .  73 

Lewis,  W.  Va.        .......  74 

Harrison,  W.  Va.     .  .  .  .  .  .  .74 

Doddridge,  W.  Va.  .......  75 

Gilmer,  W.  Va  76 

Calhoun,  W.  Va.  76 

Roane,  W.  Va.        .  .         ...         .         .  .77 

Wirt,  W.  Va.  .  .  78 

Jackson,  W.  Va.      .......  78 

Mason,  W.  Va  79 


CORRESPONDENCE  : — 

Letter  of  J.  M.  Bennett,  Esq.,  to  Hon.  L.  McKenzie        .          .  85 

Letter  of  James  M.  Brown,  Esq.,  to  Hon.  Lewis  McKenzie        .  91 

Statistics  of  the  counties  of  Virginia  through  which  the  line  of  the 

Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  passes    .          .          .          *  93 
Statistics  of  the  counties  of  the  State  of  West  Virginia  through  which 
the  line  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  passes,  and  those 

adjacent  thereto       .......  94 

Distances  on  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  from  Alexandria       .  95 
Distances  saved  by  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  from  Cincinnati 

to  eastern  cities        .......  96 

The  Allan  line  of  ocean  steamers   ......  97 

Statistics  of  the  Cumberland  coal  trade,  from  its  commencement  .          .  98 

The  Cumberland  coal  trade,  from  1842  to  1872,  inclusive — 31  years       .  99 

Settlers'  and  Immigrants'  Aid  Society  of  Norfolk.  Virginia        .          .  100 


THE  WASHINGTON  AND  OHIO  RAIL  ROAD. 


The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  Company,  a  corporation 
originally  chartered  by  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  under 
the  title  of  "  The  Alexandria,  Loudoun,  and  Hampshire  Rail  Road 
Company,"  was  at  first  intended  to  extend  only  from  the  city  of 
Alexandria,  in  the  State  of  Virginia,  to  the  coal  fields  of  Hampshire, 
then  in  said  State,  now  a  county  of  West  Virginia,  a  distance  of 
about  180  miles.  But  the  great  importance  of  a  through  and  direct 
connection  across  the  States  of  Virginia  and  West  Virginia,  between 
the  Ohio  River  on  the  west,  and  the  city  of  Washington, 

THE  NATIONAL  CAPITAL, 

with  its  commodious  roadstead  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  on  the  east,  in- 
duced this  company  to  apply  to  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  West 
Virginia  for  authority  to  extend  its  line  through  that  State  to  the 
most  suitable  point  within  its  limits  on  the  Ohio. 

The  Legislature  of  West  Virginia,  on  the  19th  day  of  February, 
1870,  passed  "an  act "  conferring  upon  this  company  the  necessary 
authority  "to  extend  and  construct  their  railroad  from  the  line  of 
the  State  of  Virginia,  westwarclly,  through  the  State  of  West  Vir- 
ginia, to  the  west  bank  of  the  Ohio  River  at  any  point  between  the 
Little  Kanawha  and  the  Big  Sandy  Rivers,  and  to  connect  said  rail- 
road, by  branches,  with  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  and  with 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  and  to  construct  such  other 
branches,  not  to  exceed  fifty  miles  in  length  in  any  one  case,  as  might 
be  deemed  expedient." 

Under  this  authority,  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  Com- 
pany caused  the  necessary  surveys  to  be  made,  and,  on  the  report  of 
its  engineers,  decided  upon  Point  Pleasant,  in  Mason  County,  as  the 
most  advantageous  location  for  its  terminus  on  the  Ohio,  a  distance 
of  325  miles  from  tide-water  on  the  Potomac  at  Washington  and 
Alexandria. 
2 


6 


THE  ROUTE  OF  "THE  WASHINGTON  AND  OHIO  RAIL  ROAD," 
AND  THE  RESOURCES  OF  THE  COUNTRY  THROUGH  WHICH 
IT  WILL  PASS. 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  commencing  at  the  city 
of  Alexandria,  taps  the  Alexandria  and  Washington  Rail  Road  one 
and  a  half  miles  from  Alexandria,  by  which  all  rail  connection  is 
made  with  the  city  of  Washington,  five  miles  distant,  and  by  which 
means  the  transportation  of  freight  and  passengers  is  secured,  daily, 
to  and  from  the  National  Capital  without  change  of  cars. 

From  the  junction  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio,  and  the  Alexandria 
and  Washington  Rail  Roads,  theWashington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  passes 
for  twenty-five  miles  through  the  counties  of  Alexandria  and  Fairfax, 
draining  an  area  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  square  miles.  This  portion 
of  the  line  is  being  rapidly  settled  by  purchasers  from  the  Northern 
and  Western  States,  and  from  Europe,  and  is  being  much  improved. 
It  thence  runs  for  twenty-eight  miles  through  the  county  of  Loudoun, 
with  a  tributary  territory  of  three  hundred  square  miles,  and  passing 
by  Leesburg,  the  county-seat,  a  town  of  nearly  two  thousand  inhabi- 
tants. Many  new  settlers  have  purchased  lands  in  this  count}'  since 
1866,  and  it  is  estimated  that  the  population  is  now  about  twenty- 
five  thousand.  Besides  being  one  of  the  most  productive  agricultural 
counties  in  the  State,  it  has  large  deposits  of  limestone,  marble,  iron, 
and  other  minerals,  only  needing  facilities  of  transportation  to  ren- 
der the  working  of  them  very  remunerative.  New  turnpikes,  and  a 
branch  railroad  from  Leesburg  to  Aldie,  are  in  progress  of  de- 
velopment, which  will  add  largety  to  the  productive  capacity  of  the 
county. 

A  deposit  of  marble,  of  almost  inexhaustible  quantity,  has  been 
recently  discovered,  of  a  quality  equal  to  the  finest  Italian,  and  a 
company  has  been  chartered  for  working  it  on  a  large  scale.  This 
marble  is  only  fifty  miles  from  Washington  Cit}',  and  will  be  deliv- 
ered from  the  quarry  to  any  building  site  in  that  city  without  change 
of  cars. 

Leaving  the  western  line  of  Loudoun  County,  the  line  enters 
Clarke  Count}'  at  the  summit  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  traverses  the 
county,  in  nearly  a  western  direction,  for  fifteen  miles.  This  is  the 
finest  wheat  and  -corn  growing  county  in  the  State,  is  well  adapted 
to  grazing,  and  has  large  and  valuable  deposits  of  iron  ore  of  fine 
quality. 

The  county  of  Jefferson,  adjoining  Clarke  County  on  the  north, 
will  be  largely  drained  by  this  road.    Leaving  Clarke  County,  the 


7 


line  traverses  Frederick  County  for  about  twent}r-five  miles,  crosses 
the  Yalley  Rail  Road  within  a  mile  of  the  town  of  Winchester,  or 
will  pass  through  the  town,  and  must  successfully  compete  for  a  large 
share  of  the  products  of  the  Shenandoah  Yalley. 

Frederick  County  has  nearly  fifty  flouring  mills,  and  several  success- 
ful woollen  mills,  and  the  town  of  Winchester  is  becoming  an  import- 
ant manufacturing  centre  for  agricultural  and  other  machinery.  In 
this  county  are  seventy-five  thousand  acres  of  limestone  land,  capable 
of  producing  a  million  bushels  of  wheat ;  and  there  are  eight  turnpike 
roads,  connecting  these  lands  with  the  town  of  Winchester.  The 
population  of  Winchester  is  about  five  thousand,  and  the  distance  to 
Washington  by  this  line  only  seventy-five  miles,  against  one  hundred 
and  thirty-seven  miles  by  the  present  route  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road. 

After  leaving  Winchester,  the  line  passes  through  Petticoat  Gap, 
in  the  Little  North  Mountain,  and  reaches  the  summit  of  the  Great 
North  Mountain  at  Lockhart's  Gap  with  easy  grades,  crossing  with 
an  open  cut  of  about  twenty  feet,  and  thence  on,  by  Capper's  Spring, 
now  called  "Rock  Enon,"  and  Capon  Springs,  to  the  county  of 
Hampshire,  in  West  Virginia. 

Capon  Springs,  in  the  productive  vallej'  of  the  Cacapon  River,  are 
thirty  miles  from  Winchester,  and  one  mile  from  the  line  of  this  road. 
These  springs  are  too  well  known  as  a  place  of  resort  to  require  a 
special  description  ;  but  when  brought  within  four  hours'  ride  of  the 
National  Capital,  being  only  ninety-five  miles  distant,  will  be  greatly 
in  repute.  Capper's  (Rock  Enon)  Spring,  on  the  same  side  of  the 
mountain,  and  five  miles  nearer  to  Washington,  is  second  to  none  in  the 
State  for  its  medicinal  qualities,  though  now  comparatively  unknown. 
These  springs  are  destined  to  rival,  successfully,  tlie  most  popular  of 
our  watering  places. 

Leaving  Capon  Springs,  and  passing  through  the  Valley  to  a  point 
one  and  a  half  miles  beyond  the  town  of  Wardensville,  the  line  will 
pass  through  Sandy  Ridge  by  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  pic- 
turesque gaps  in  the  mountains  of  Virginia.  Near  this  point  the 
famous  Lost  River  disappears,  running  under  the  mountain  for  two 
and  a  half  miles,  and  reappearing  as  the  Great  Cacapon  River.  Fol- 
lowing the  Valley  of  Lost  River  and  its  tributary  streams,  the  South 
Branch  Mountain  is  reached,  and  crossing  by  a  tunnel,  and  descend- 
ing the  western  slope,  we  arrive  at  the  town  of  Moorefield,  the  county 
seat  of  Hardy,  in  the  Great  South  Branch  Valley.  This  Valley  is 
five  hundred  feet  lower  than  the  Valley  of  Lost  River,  and,  having  an 
alluvial  soil  of  great  depth,  is  of  unsurpassed  fertility.    Corn  has 


8 


been  grown  on  the  same  lands  for  a  hundred  consecutive  years,  with- 
out apparently  diminishing  the  yield ;  and  this  splendid  region  is 
only  needing  a  proper  outlet  for  its  productions,  to  become  justly  far- 
famed.  From  Moorefield  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  is  distant 
on  the  north  nearly  fifty  miles;  and  the  nearest  railroad  on  the  south 
is  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio,  distant  more  than  one  hundred  miles. 

Leaving  the  Yalley  of  the  South  Branch,  and  crossing  several 
minor  vallej^s  and  ridges,  the  Alleghany  Mountains  are  reached,  and 
passed  with  a  tunnel ;  near  which  point  a  most  splendid  panorama  is 
presented.  Looking  eastward,  the  whole  country,  from  Harper's 
Ferry  on  the  north,  to  the  Peaks  of  Otter  on  the  south,  is  spread  out 
in  one  grand  view,  every  range  of  mountain  being  clearly  seen  and 
distinctly  marked,  and  the  pen  of  the  most  imaginative  writer  would 
fail  to  overdraw  the  picture ;  while  to  the  south  and  southwest,  the 
view  is,  if  possible,  more  grand,  though  less  extensive. 

On  the  western  slope  of  the  Alleghany,  the  first  coal  is  reached — 
distant  from  Washington  City  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles ;  and 
from  this  point  to  the  Ohio  River,  valuable  beds,  from  three  to  twenty 
feet  in  thickness,  are  found,  in  every  county  of  West  Virginia  through 
which  the  line  will  pass,  viz.:  Tucker,  Randolph,  Barbour,  Upshur, 
Lewis,  Gilmer,  Calhoun,  Roane,  Jackson,  and  Mason.  These  coals 
are  of  a  bituminous  character,  and  most  of  them  the  best  gas-coal  in 
the  country,  furnishing  an  illimitable  supply,  and  very  cheaply  worked. 
In  the  vallej^s  of  the  head-waters  of  the  Cheat  River,  known  as  Dry 
Fork,  Laurel  Fork,  Shaver's  Fork,  and  Glade  Fork,  are  found  forests 
of  the  original  growth  of  oak,  pine,  chestnut,  poplar,  walnut,  maple, 
cherry,  and  other  woods,  of  the  finest  quality  and  in  immense  quan- 
tities. In  Glade  Fork  may  be  seen  forty  odd  poplars  on  an  acre, 
thirty  of  which  will  measure  an  average  of  eighty  feet  without  a  limb 
— many  of  them  a  hundred — straight  as  a  gun-barrel,  and  five  feet 
through  the  butt.  At  other  points,  where  the  cherry  trees  preponde- 
rate, an  acre  may  be  selected  having  on  it  twenty  cherry  trees  which 
will  measure  fifty  feet  to  the  first  limb,  are  perfectly  straight,  and 
three  feet  through  the  stump,  and  apparently  (to  the  eye)  as  large  at 
fifty  feet  from  the  ground  as  at  three  feet.  There  is,  in  a  single  cove 
of  the  mountains,  a  group  of  sugar  maples  containing  more  than  five 
thousand  trees  of  large  size.  '  The  oak  and  pine  timber  is  not  excelled 
in  quality  by  that  of  any  other  region  in  the  United  States,  many  of 
the  pines  being  more  than  two  hundred  feet  high,  and  six  feet  thick. 
The  entire  country,  from  the  mountains  to  the  Ohio  River,  is  covered 
with  equally  fine  timber.  The  iron  ore  of  this  region  is  abundant, 
and  of  the  best  quality,  and  water  power,  immense  and  convenient, 


9 


would  furnish  the  means  of  driving  rolling  mills  and  other  factories 
unnumbered. 

From  the  Cheat  River,  in  Randolph  County,  the  line  traverses  the 
counties  named  above,  and  reaches  the  Ohio  River  without  a  tunnel 
or  serious  obstruction,  on  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 

All  the  country  west  of  the  mountains  abounds  in  coal  and  iron, 
and  the  most  valuable  timber,  besides  being  one  of  the  best  natural 
grass  regions  anywhere  to  be  found.  The  soil  is  cla}',  naturally  under- 
drained,  and  the  hills  do  not  wash.  Cattle  are  kept  unhoused,  and 
grazed  throughout  the  year,  only  requiring  hay  when  the  snow  pre- 
vents them  from  reaching  the  pasturage,  which  rarely  happens.  Blue 
grass  is  indigenous,  and  timothy  grows  most  luxuriantly.  The  oil 
wells  in  Wirt  and  other  counties  are  very  'productive,  and  many 
others  would  be  opened  if  proper  outlets  existed  to  market.  The 
region  known  as  the  "  Eternal  Centre  "  produces  thousands  of  barrels 
of  oil  per  day,  and  would  furnish  a  very  profitable  employment  for  a 
railroad.  In  Mason  County,  containing  four  hundred  and  thirty 
square  miles,  all  of  which  is  tillable  land,  about  one-fourth  is  pro- 
ductive bottom  land,  worth  an  average  of  fifty  dollars  an  acre  for 
farming  purposes.  In  this  county  is  a  good  coal  field,  now  being 
extensively  worked,  and  numerous  salt  wells,  turning  out,  for  nine 
furnaces,  seven  thousand  bushels  per  day.  In  the  county  of  Lewis, 
with  seventeen  hundred  and  three  male  inhabitants  over  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  but  one-seventh  of  the  arable  land  is  cleared. 

The  distance  from  Washington  City  and  Alexandria,  by  this  line, 
to  the  Ohio  River,  is  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles,  and  to  Cin- 
cinnati, via  a  projected  line  from  Point  Pleasant,  four  hundred  and 
seventy-five  miles.  To  Chicago,  seven  hundred  and  twenty  miles ; 
and  to  Memphis,  via  Winchester  and  Danville,  Kentucky,  eight  hun- 
dred and  eighty  miles ;  shortening  the  distance  over  the  shortest  pre- 
sent routes — to  Cincinnati,  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  miles;  to 
Chicago,  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  miles ;  and  to  Memphis,  fifty- 
four  miles.  The  road  is  now  finished  to  Hamilton,  in  Loudoun 
County,  forty-four  miles  from  Washington,  and  supporting  two  daily 
passenger  trains  and  one  freight  train  each  way,  and  is  now  being 
pressed  forward  to  Snickersville,  eleven  miles  beyond. 

This  hasty  glance  of  the  route  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail 
Road  affords  but  a  faint  idea,  not  only  of  its  value  as  a  means  for  the 
transportation  of  passengers  and  freights,  but  for  the  development  of 
the  immense  wealth  of  the  mountains  and  valleys  of  West  Virginia, 
and  the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi 


10 


This  company  is  desirous  to  prosecute  its  work  to  final  completion 
at  the  earliest  practicable  period,  but  its  limited  means  have  retarded 
its  operations. 

The  funds  required  for  its  building,  so  far  as  completed,  were  fur- 
nished by  the  State  and  people  of  Virginia ;  and  the  interest  of  the  peo- 
ple residing  in  the  counties,  and  those  contiguous  thereto,  along  its 
line,  in  the  State  of  West  Virginia,  is  shown  by  their  county  subscrip- 
tions, in  making  which  they  prudently  and  properly  provided  that 
they  should  be  available  orfly  as  the  road  reached  their  respective 
limits. 

To  enable  this  company  to  take  advantage  of  these  subscriptions 
the  city  of  Washington  has  been  invited  to  make  a  subscription  of 
one  million  dollars  to  its  capital  stock,  said  subscription  to  be  made 
in  the  bonds  of  the  city,  running  thirty  years,  with  interest  thereon  at 
the  rate  of  six  per  centum  per  annum, 'payable  half  yearly;  the  said 
sum  of  one  million  c  ollars  to  be  delivered  to  this  company  at  the 
rate  of  sixteen  thousand  dollars  for  each  and  every  mile  of  railroad 
actually  completed,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  authorities  of  said 
city,  and  certificates  for  the  tax  to  be  issued,  so  that  the  actual  tax 
payer  might  finalty  become  the  owner  of  the  stock,  a  provision  which, 
this  company  thinks,  ought  to  commend  itself  to  the  government  and 
people  of  Washington.  A  large  portion  of  the  substantial  citizens  of 
Washington  (property  holders  and  business  men),  assured  of  the  great 
advantages  which  will  result  to  their  city  by  the  building  of  this  line, 
gave  their  assent  to  said  subscription  in  a  petition  to  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States,  and  in  which  the  necessary  authority  was  asked  to 
enable  them  to  make  the  subscription  requested  by  this  company.  A 
bill  for  this  purpose  was  subsequently  introduced  in  the  House  of 
Delegates  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  but  the  Legislative  Assembly 
adjourned  without  taking  final  action  upon  it. 

The  importance  of  this  road  to  the  city  of  Washington,  as  opening 
up  a  new  and  shorter  route,  over  those  existing  or  projected,  by  fifty- 
four,  fifty-eight,  and  ninety-five  miles  respectively,  nearer  to  tide  from 
the  west  and  southwest,  passing  through  a  country  abounding  in  coal, 
iron,  minerals  of  all  descriptions,  timber  of  immense  value,  and  fur- 
nishing to  the  federal  metropolis  every  description  of  agricultural  pro- 
duction, thus  reducing  the  price  of  living,  makes  it  of  the  first  import- 
ance that  the  city  of  Washington  should  co-operate  in  this  great 
enterprise;  and  whilst  the  city  of  Alexandria,  with  its  fine  depth  of 
water,  and  its  other  facilities  for  the  accommodation  of  a  heavy  busi- 
ness, must  control,  in  a  great  measure,  the  bulk  of  the  coal  trade, 


11 


Washington,  as  the  seat  of  the  General  Government,  will  attract  the 
heavy  passenger  traffic  which  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road 
will  command. 

Out  of  the  subscription  of  one  million  dollars  requested  from  the 
city  of  Washington,  it  is  the  purpose  of  this  company  to  build  an  inde- 
pendent line  of  road  to  that  city  from  the  most  suitable  and  convenient 
point  on  its  present  line. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  sketches  of  the  several  counties  in  Vir- 
ginia and  West  Virginia  through  which  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road  will  pass — showing  character  of  soil,  climate,  minerals, 
timbers,  water  powers,  adaptation  to  the  culture  of  fruit,  grapes, 
etc. 

Parties  seeking  investments  in  fine  farming  lands,  grazing  lands, 
water  powers,  timbered  tracts,  coal  and  iron  lands,  in  the  manufacture 
of  salt,  and  in  the  culture  of  the  various  kinds  of  fruit  produced  in 
this  fine  climate,  will  not  fail  to  see  in  the  country  through  which  this 
road  will  pass  a  most  inviting  field  for  safe  and  profitable  investment. 
Letters  of  inquiry  from  parties  who  may  desire  more  minute  informa- 
tion on  these  subjects,  will  receive  prompt  attention  by  addressing 
the  President  of  this  company. 

The  people  along  the  line  are  anxious  for  immigration,  and  gladly 
extend  a  cordial  welcome  to  all,  whether  from  the  States  of  the  Union, 
Great  Britain,  or  the  continent  of  Europe.  In  this  connection  refer- 
ence is  made  to  the  Allan  Line  of  Steamers  as  affording  regular  facili- 
ties for  the  transportation  of  passengers  between  Liverpool,  England, 
and  the  cities  of  Alexandria  and  Washington,  via  Norfolk,  Virginia. 

For  the  information  of  parties  who  may  desire  to  co-operate  in  the 
building  of  this  great  line  it  is  proper  to  state  the  financial  condition 
of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  on  the  30th  of  September, 
1872,  the  end  of  the  last  fiscal  year. 

The  line  of  road  from  Alexandria  to  Hamilton  Station,  forty-four 
miles,  including  a  short  link  connecting  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road  with  the  Alexandria  and  Washington,  a  large  and  substan- 
tial two-story  brick  passenger  depot  and  frame  shedding,  large  brick 
freight  depot,  round  house  for  locomotives,  repair  shops,  car  shops, 
and  other  buildings,  turn-table,  etc.,  occupying  a  square  of  ground 
covering  two  acres,  and  three  squares  of  ground  (six  acres)  immediately 
adjacent,  with  a  water  front  of  eight  hundred  and  thirty-eight  feet, 
conveniently  situated  at  Alexandria ;  passenger  and  freight  houses 
at  Fall's  Church,  Vienna,  Thornton,  Herndon,  Guilford,  Farm  well, 
Leesburg,  Clark's  Gap,  and  Hamilton  stations,  including  turn-tables 


12 


at  Leesburg  and  Hamilton,  cost  about  the  sum  of  $1,800,000,  the 
supposed  present  value  of  which  is    .       .       .       .    $1,335,000  00 

Liabilities,  including  $130,400  00,  of 

the  W.  &  O.  R.  R.  bonds  at  par  $528,529  77 
Deduct  good  assets  on  hand       .       .  123,731  82 

 $404,797  95 

Leaving  as    security  for  the  bond- 
holders the  sum  of  .       .       .       .  930,202  05 

 $1,335,000  00 

CINCINNATI  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE. 

In  order  to  show  the  interest  mainifested  in  this  great  work  by  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  and  of  the  Board  of 
Trade  of  the  city  of  Washington,  the  resolutions  adopted  by  these 
bodies  are  hereto  annexed. 

THE  WASHINGTON  AND  OHIO  RAIL  ROAD— REPORT  TO  CHAM- 
BER OF  COMMERCE— INDORSEMENT  OF  THE  PROJECT  — 
SPEECH  OF  COL.  WM.  H.  TRIMBLE.* 

At  the  close  of  business  hours  on  'Change  }resterday,  the  Com- 
mittee to  whom  was  submitted  the  subject  of  the  Washington  and 
Ohio  Rail  Road,  submitted  the  following  report,  which  was  unani- 
mously adopted : — 

Chas.  W.  Rowland, 

President  of  Cincinnati  Chamber  of  Commerce : — 
Your  Committee,  appointed  to  report  on  the  subject  of  certain  com- 
munications presented  by  Dr.  James  C  Hill,  of  Alexandria,  Virginia, 
showing  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  to  be  a  more  direct 
route  than  any  other  to  the  tide- waters  of  the  Potomac  from  the  Ohio 
River,  beg  leave  to  say  that  they  have  examined  this  subject  as  care- 
fully as  was  possible  without  the  actual  surveys,  and  find  the  state- 
ments relative  to  the  road  to  be  substantially  correct;  that  it  is  the 
most  direct  route  built  or  projected,  and  possesses  some  advantages 
for  this  city  that  no  other  railroad  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard  has ;  and 
in  recommending  it  to  the  favorable  consideration  of  this  body,  and 
the  business  community  of  this  section  of  the  State  and  city,  we  are 
governed  by  the  same  reasons  that  induced  a  former  committee  of 
this  chamber  to  report  favorably  on  the  Virginia  water-line  between 
the  Ohio  and  James  rivers,  which  report  received  your  most  cordial 
indorsement. 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  as  projected  and  survej-ed  to 


*  From  Daily  Cincinnati  Enquirer  of  27th  October,  1870. 


13 


Point  Pleasant,  on  the  Ohio  River,  when  completed,  will  tend  to  the 
development  and  support  of  certain  projected  and  existing  improve- 
ments in  which  Cincinnati  and  other  western  cities  are  mutually  in- 
terested. When  brought  to  this  city,  it  will  give  a  more  direct  com- 
munication to  St.  Louis  and  other  western  cities  than  they  now  have 
to  the  seaboard.  Chicago  will  continue  her  existing  relations  with 
this  city,  because  it  will  give  a  more  direct  outlet  for  her  products 
than  can  be  had  by  any  other  route.  It  will  give  the  shortest  railway 
communication  between  the  Ohio  River  and  the  tide-waters  of  the 
Potomac,  at  a  point  that  is  of  mutual  importance  to  all  the  country 
interested  in  the  water-line,  commencing  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kanawha 
River.  At  the  mouth  of  this  stream  the  great  bulk  of  the  future  busi- 
ness of  the  West  on  the  navigable  streams  of  the  same  will  be  concen- 
trated, and  it  is  important  that  a  main  trunk  line  railway  should  be 
built  from  this  point  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  Nature  has  placed  them 
so  connectedly  as  to  give  all  these  points  an  almost  air-line,  and  in  a 
central  position  to  the  whole  country.  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  Point 
Pleasant — in  other  words,  the  Mississippi,  the  Ohio,  and  the  Potomac 
— will  be  connected  and  linked  in  business  relations  by  the  building 
of  this  road,  on  a  line  mutually  beneficial  to  all. 

It  will  give  to  our  commerce  and  manufactures  the  most  important 
outlet  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  because  the  shortest  railway  trans- 
portation, being  only  three  hundred  and  forty  miles,*  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Kanawha  to  Washington  City  and  Alexandria  on  the  Potomac; 
the  depth  of  water  at  the  latter  place  being  enough  for  all  practical 
purposes,  with  an  abundance  of  cheap  coal  for  the  use  of  steamship 
lines,  making  it  eminently  adapted  as  a  point  for  oceanic  communica- 
tion with  the  outside  world.  Being  more  inland  than  any  other  port, 
it  is  susceptible  of  being  made  more  defensible  in  time  of  war,  which  is 
a  matter  worthy  of  consideration.  The  railway  accommodations  at 
the  starting  point,  Alexandria,  are,  and  bid  fair  to  be,  of  unsurpassed 
importance.  Other  connections  and  intersections  of  a  valuable  cha- 
racter will  be  had  when  the  road  is  built  and  finished  to  Point  Pleasant. 
It  passes  through  a  country  unsurpassed  for  health,  beauty,  and  fer- 
tility, and  abounds  in  timber,  coal,  iron,  marble,  slate,  granite,  and 
many  other  products  of  forest,  field,  and  garden  too  numerous  to 
mention.  The  greater  portion  of  it  passes  through  a  region  of  country 
not  tributary  to  any  other  road,  and  is  consequently  not  running  a 
tilt  against  any  existing  improvement.    In  its  course  it  touches  on 

*  The  committee  here  erroneously  make  the  distance  exceed  by  15  miles  that 
given  by  our  engineers. 


14 


several  important  towns  and  cities,  and  runs  almost  equally  distant 
between  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  and  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail 
Roads.  To  the  former  it  must  ultimately  be  of  great  benefit  for  its 
northern  freight  and  travel. 

We  herewith  furnish  a  tabular  statement  of  distances  of  the  Wash- 
ington and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  as  prepared  by  the  engineer,  and  as 
published  in  the  Daily  Commercial  of  the  17th  instant;  also  some 
approximated  distances,  as  published  in  the  Daily  Gazette  of  the  12th 
instant,  and  the  Enquirer  of  the  19th  instant,  on  the  distances  of 
various  ports  of  entry  from  Cincinnati: — 

Your  Committee,  after  a  careful  examination  of  the  claims  of  the 
Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  as  presented  by  her  representative, 
Dr.  Hill,  beg  leave  to  offer  the  following  resolutions  for  the  adoption 
of  this  Chamber: — 

Resolved,  That  cheap  and  quick  transportation  for  the  products  of 
the  inferior  of  the  country  to  the  tide-waters  of  the  Potomac  and 
Chesapeake,  is  not  only  a  necessit}^,  but  is  demanded  by  the  highest 
considerations  of  an  enlightened  public  policy. 

Resolved,  That,  to  secure  this,  additional  direct  lines  of  railways  to 
the  East,  in  which  this  city  should  have  a  controlling  influence,  are  im- 
peratively demanded,  not  only  as  a  means  of  procuring  cheap  freights, 
but  of  protecting  our  commerce  generally  from  discriminations  preju- 
dicial to  it. 

Resolved,  That  it  will  be  to  the  interests  of  this  cit}r  and  section  of 
the  State,  that  every  encouragement,  both  private  and  public,  be  ex- 
tended to  forward  the  completion  of  the  shortest  and  most  central 
railway  to  this  city  from  the  tide-waters  of  the  Potomac,  and  the 
capital  of  the  United  States. 

All  of  which  is  most  respectfully  submitted. 

JAMES  F.  TORRENCE, 
S.  Y.  REID, 
JEFF.  BUCKINGHAM, 
A.  W.  MULLEN. 

WASHINGTON  BOARD  OF  TRADE— ANNUAL  MEETING.* 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Washington  Board  of  Trade  was  held 
at  the  rooms  of  the  board  last  night,  S.  Bacon,  Esq.,  President,  in 
the  chair. 

After  a  few  preliminaries  had  been  adjusted, 

Mr.  Bacon,  from  the  committee  to  inquire  into  the  propriety  of  re- 


*  From  Patriot,  Washington,  January  21,  1871. 


15 

commending  to  Congress  the  passage  of  an  act  to  submit  to  the  vote 
of  the  citizens  of  Washington  the  question  whether  they  will  con- 
sent to  subscribe  to  the  capital  stock  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road  Company,  to  the  extent  of  $1,000,000,  submitted  the  fol- 
lowing report : — 

The  committee  to  whom  was  referred  at  the  last  meeting  of  the 
board  the  action  of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  rela- 
tive to  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  report: — 

That  they  have  carefully  examined  the  whole  subject  committed  to 
their  charge,  and  do,  without  hesitation,  report  that  the  interests  of 
this  city  and  section  have,  in  the  speedy  completion  of  this  road  to 
the  West,  a  greater  importance  than  any  subject  that  has  ever  been 
before  us  for  action.  We  believe  that  the  completion  of  this  road  to 
Cincinnati,  from  whence  diverge  railroads  in  every  direction,  will 
have  the  same  effect  on  the  future  prosperity  of  Washington  and  the 
adjoining  cities  that  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Road  has  had  upon 
Baltimore,  the  Pennsylvania  Central  upon  Philadelphia,  and  the  Erie 
on  New  York  ;  for  it  is  a  fixed  fact  that  all  the  cities  of  this  country 
that  have  had  the  enterprise  to  build  railroads  to  connect  with  the 
teeming  West  have  prospered  in  a  ratio  several  hundred  per  cent, 
faster  than  those  who  have  laid  dormant. 

We  are  happy  to  state  that  this  locality  is  fast  becoming  the  centre 
of  more  than  one  line  of  railroad ;  that  we  shall  soon  have,  your  com- 
mittee are  assured,  additional  communication  with  the  South  by 
means  of  the  Washington,  Fredericksburg  and  Richmond  Rail  Road, 
with  the  West  by  way  of  the  Metropolitan  Rail  Road,  and  with  the 
East  by  means  of  the  Potomac  Rail  Road;  and  if  the  proper  exer- 
tion is  made  to  bring  this  subject  before  the  people  of  this  city,  and 
all  due  diligence  is  made  to  complete  this  road  to  Cincinnati,  we  be- 
lieve it  will  be  of  more  advantage  to  the  city  than  all  the  rest  of  the 
roads  before  mentioned.  The  indorsement  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce of  the  Queen  City,  and  their  examination  and  knowledge  of 
the  advantages  that  will  grow  out  of  its  completion  to  this  city,  is 
one  of  the  best  guarantees  that  this  board  can  have  of  the  feasibility 
of  its  completion  and  the  great  interests  in  the  subject. 

Your  committee  has  also  examined  House  Bill  No.  H24,  and  the 
accompanying  memorial  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  praying 
for  the  passage  of  the  same  ;  also  the  bill  prepared  for  the  subsequent 
action  of  the  City  Councils,  and  find  that  the  provision  therein  made 
contains  ample  guarantees  to  protect  the  interests  of  the  tax-payers 
of  this  city,  the  largest  and  most  influential  number  of  whom  have 
already  signed  said  memorial.    This  is  sufficient  evidence  to  your 


16 


committee  that  they  are  alive  to  the  interests  and  future  develop- 
ment of  this  city,  and  in  recommending  the  passage  of  this  bill  they 
are  but  reiterating  the  already  expressed  wish  of  the  people.  This 
will  be  simply  placing  this  community  in  the  position  to  decide  for 
themselves  this  important  measure,  which,  when  completed,  will  give 
a  permanently  increasing  value  to  all  property  in  this  locality,  which 
is  now  to  some  extent  affected  by  the  want  of  facilities  for  commer- 
cial intercourse  with  the  heart  of  the  great  West.  Your  committee, 
therefore,  submit  this  report,  with  the  following  resolutions. 

(Signed)  SAMUEL  BACON, 

J.  W.  THOMPSON, 
WM.  Gr.  METZEROTT, 
JOHN  W.  BOTELER, 
W.  H.  CLAGETT. 

Be  it  resolved,  That,  in  view  of  the  facts  set  forth  in  this  report,  it 
is  for  the  best  interest  of  this  city  to  encourage,  by  every  means  at  the 
disposition  of  the  citizens  thereof,  the  speedy  completion  of  the  Wash- 
ington and  Ohio  Rail  Road  from  this  city  to  the  Ohio  River,  and 
thence  to  the  city  of  Cincinnati. 

Resolved,  That  every  effort  be  made  to  assist,  as  far  as  our  limited 
means  will  enable  us,  Cincinnati  and  other  western  cities  in  the 
speedy  completion  of  this,  to  them,  to  us,  and  to  the  nation,  import- 
ant short-line  improvement  in  communication  with  the  capital  of  the 
nation. 

Resolved,  That  it  is  the  best  interest  of  this  city  that  the  Senate 
of  the  United  States  pass  House  Bill  No.  IV 24,  granting  permission 
to  decide,  by  a  two-thirds  vote  at  a  general  election,  the  propriety  of 
subscribing  to  the  capital  stock  of  the  said  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road. 

On  motion,  the  report  was  accepted,  and  the  resolutions  adopted. 

On  motion  by  Mr.  Hall,  a  vote  of  thanks  was  tendered  to  Dr.  J.  C. 
Hill,  of  Alexandria,  Va.,  for  his  assistance  in  furnishing  statistics 
and  data  to  the  committee  for  their  report  on  the  Washington  and 
Ohio  Rail  Road. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C, 

Is  situated  near  the  head  of  tide-water,  and  of  navigation,  on  the 
Potomac,  one  of  the  broadest  and  most  beautiful  rivers  in  the  Union. 
It  contains  many  splendid  public  buildings,  those  erected  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  government  being  grand  and  imposing. 


17 


The  Executive  Mansion,  the  official  residence  of  the  President, 
occupies  an  elevated  position  44  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Potomac. 
The  Capitol  is  on  an  eastern  eminence,  72  feet  above  tide,  one  mile 
from  the  President's  house.  The  War  and  Navy  Departments  are  at 
the  west  end  of  the  President's  Park,  and  the  Treasury  on  its  eastern 
line  ;  the  Patent  Office,  and  the  General  Post  Office  Departments  and 
the  City  Hall  occupy  central  locations.  The  Smithsonian  Institution, 
the  National  Armory,  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  the  Botanical 
Gardens,  and  the  Arsenal  lie  south  of  "  the  Avenue,"  and  the  Navy 
Yard  and  Marine  Barracks  at  the  extreme  eastern  limit  of  the  city. 
The  Army  Medical  Museum  (Late  Ford's  Theatre)  is  of  great  interest 
to  the  public,  as  being  the  scene  of  the  assassination  of  President 
Lincoln. 

Washington  contains  many  fine  parks,  or  extensive  pleasure 
grounds.  That  surrounding  the  executive  residence  is  beautifully 
ornamented ;  the  Capitol  Park,  although  extensive,  is  now  being  en- 
larged. The  Smithsonian  Institution  grounds  contain  about  50  acres, 
the  Arsenal  grounds  have  an  extensive  river  front,  and  are  growing  in 
beauty.  The  National  Observatory,  one  mile  west  of  the  President's, 
has  its  park,  and  besides  these  there  are  numerous  reservations  which 
have  been  tastefully  improved,  and  contribute  to  the  comfort  and 
health  of  the  metropolis. 

Washington  is  not  without  memorials  in  honor  of  the  statesmen 
and  patriots  of  the  country;  among  these  may  be  mentioned  the 
equestrian  statues  of  Washington  and  Jackson,  and  the  monument  to 
the  memory  of  Lincoln. 

The  District  of  Columbia  was  formed  by  Act  of  Congress  of  the 
16th  Jul}*,  1790.  That  portion  which  constitutes  its  present  limits 
was  ceded  for  that  purpose  to  the  United  States  by  the  State  of 
Maryland. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  Capitol  was  laid  by  Washington  (then 
President)  Sept.  18,  1793,  and  in  1800  the  seat  of  government  was 
removed  from  the  city  of  Philadelphia. 

Compared  with  the  great  capitals  of  Europe,  Washington  is  still  in 
its  infancy.  In  1800  its  population  was  but  3210;  in  1810  it  was 
8208;  in  1820,  13,247;  in  1830,  18,826;  in  1840,  23,364;  in  1850, 
40,001 ;  in  1860,  61,122  ;  and  in  1870  it  had  reached  109,199 ;  and  as 
the  seat  of  the  general  government  its  future  increase  of  population 
will  be  commensurate  with  the  growth  of  the  country. 

In  the  adornment  of  its  avenues  and  streets  vast  sums  of  money 
have  been  expended  and  thousands  of  mechanics  and  laborers  are  now 
employed  in  their  improvement.    The  city  has  many  fine  drives,  and 


18 


as  the  seat  of  the  National  Government,  Washington  has  drawn  to  it, 
and  will  continue  to  attract,  as  permanent  residents,  citizens  from  all 
parts  of  the  country. 

As  the  capital  of  a  great  nation,  Washington  should  enjoy  superior 
railroad  facilities.  It  is  directly  on  the  great  line  of  travel  from  the 
north  to  the  south,  and  in  these  directions  the  present  lines  afford  the 
necessary  accommodations.  There  is,  however,  no  western  outlet,  and 
this  inconvenience  and  impediment  to  the  prosperity  of  this  section  of 
the  country  has  long  been  experienced. 

Starting  from  the  city  of  Washington  and  running  in  a  western 
direction  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  makes  nearly  an  air 
line  in  its  passage  to  the  Central  West,  through  a  country  abounding 
in  all  the  resources  of  productive  wealth.  Such  a  vast  outlet  to  trade 
and  business  ought  not  to  remain  closed,  and  the  importance  of  the 
early  extension  of  the  road  will  doubtless  receive  the  attention  of  the 
city  authorities  and  people. 

GEORGETOWN,  D.  C, 

lies  west  of  Washington,  and  is  connected  with  it  b}T  permanent  bridges 
over  Rock  Creek,  a  narrow  stream.  It  is  a  place  of  considerable 
commercial  importance  on  the  Potomac  at  the  head  of  navigation. 

By  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal  it  enjoys  a  heavy  trade  in  coal 
from  Cumberland,  Maryland.  It  has  several  large  flouring  mills,  and 
a  population  of  11,384. 

Partaking  of  the  spirit  of  its  enterprising  neighbor,  Georgetown  is 
rapidly  increasing  its  wealth  and  importance. 

ALEXANDRIA,  VA. 

This  city  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Potomac  River,  one 
hundred  miles  from  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  into  which  it  flows,  and  two 
hundred  miles  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  It  is  one  of  the  chief  cities 
of  Virginia,  and  is  one  hundred  and  nine  miles  03-  rail  from  the  cit}r 
of  Richmond,  the  capital  of  the  State. 

The  streets  are  paved,  well  graded,  and  cross  each  other  at  right 
angles.  It  is  lighted  with  gas,  is  abundantly  supplied  with  pure 
water,  and  for  health  is  not  surpassed  by  any  other  city  in  the  United 
States.  From  its  elevated  grounds  on  the  west  it  commands  an  ex- 
tensive and  beautiful  view  of  the  surrounding  country  and  of  the  city 
of  Washington,  six  miles  distant,  with  which  city  and  Georgetown  it 
has  hourly  communication  by  steamboat  and  railroad. 

In  1860  its  population  was  10,000.     This  in  1870  had  reached 


19 


13,510,  and  its  estimated  population  now  (18*73)  is  fully  16,000,  which 
a  growing  trade  is  steadily  increasing. 

As  a  commercial  point  Alexandria  enjoys  great  advantages. 
Twenty-five  years  ago  the  products  of  the  country  tributary  to  it 
were  brought  to  market  by  means  of  farm  wagons  and  small  vessels  ; 
but,  with  the  introduction  of  railroads,  these  means  of  transportation 
have,  to  a  great  extent,  passed  away,  and  to  accommodate  the  con- 
stantly increasing  productions  of  the  country  the  capacity  of  several 
lines  of  railway  are  heavily  taxed. 

It  has  a  fine  harbor,  the  Potomac  opposite  the  city  being  one  mile 
wide,  and  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  deep,  and  being  supplied  with  large 
and  commodious  wharves,  and  extensive  warehouses  afford  all  the 
facilities  required  for  commercial  purposes. 

It  has  several  lines  of  railway,  a  canal,  turnpikes,  and  steam  com- 
munication with  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  New  York,  Boston,  and 
Norfolk.  At  Norfolk  connection  is  made  with  the  Allan  LiNe  op 
Ocean  Steamers  to  Liverpool,  via  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  and  Queens- 
town,  Ireland. 

It  imports  all  the  salt  required  for  the  Potomac  fisheries  and  for 
interior  consumption,  the  large  quantities  of  lump  plaster  required  for 
agricultural  purposes  ;  and,  on  the  completion  of  the  railway  lines 
now  in  course  of  construction,  there  is  no  reason  why,  in  addition 
to  these,  most  of  the  supplies  required  for  this  market,  and  now  im- 
ported from  foreign  countries  through  other  ports,  should  not  be 
imported  from  the  producing  countries  directly  into  Alexandria. 

The  building  of  a  street  railway,  to  pass  through  the  main  business 
street  of  the  city,  from  the  Washington  steamboat  wharf,  and  near 
the  depots  of  all  the  railroads  running  through  and  out  of  Alexan- 
dria, with  a  terminus  outside  of  its  western  limits,  will  be  commenced 
early  in  the  spring,  and  completed  by  the  first  of  July  of  the  present 
year  (1873). 

THE  WASHINGTON  AND  OHIO  RAIL  ROAD, 

When  completed  to  the  Ohio,  will  bring  the  vast  trade  and  travel  of 
that  region  to  the  Potomac  at  Alexandria  and  Washington.  This 
road  is  now  in  operation  to  Hamilton,  Loudoun  County,  forty-four 
miles  from  Alexandria,  and  over  this  short  line  the  demands  of  the 
country  require  the  running  of  two  daily  passenger  trains  and  one 
freight  train  each  way. 


20 


THE  ORANGE,  ALEXANDRIA,  AND  MANASSAS  RAIL  ROAD, 

One  of  the  great  improvements  of  the  State,  has  its  terminus  at 
Alexandria.  This  great  public  work  is  completed  and  in  successful 
operation  to  the  city  of  Lynchburg,  in  Virginia,  one  hundred  and 
seventy-one  miles  southwest  from  Alexandria,  where  it  connects  with 
the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Rail  Road,  which  has  extensive  railway 
connections  with  the  States  of  Tennessee,  Arkansas,  Georgia,  Ala- 
bama, and  other  States  South. 

In  addition  to  two  branches  owned  by  this  road,  one  running  to 
Warrenton,  in  Fauquier  County,  50  miles  from  Alexandria,  and  one 
to  Harrisonburg,  Rockingham  Countj^,  139  miles  from  Alexandria, 
the  Orange,  Alexandria,  and  Manassas  Rail  Road  is  now  building,  and 
will  shortly  complete,  a  railroad  from  Lynchburg,  its  present  ter- 
minus, to  Danville,  in  Pittsylvania  County,  65^  miles  south  from 
Lynchburg,  through  a  rich  country,  in  which  the  whistle  of  the  loco- 
motive has  never  been  heard. 

From  Danville  it  is  proposed  to  extend  this  road  to  Statesville,  an 
important  point  in  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  on  the  Western  North 
Carolina  Rail  Road,  by  which  route  the  Orange,  Alexandria,  and  Ma- 
nassas Rail  Road  will  form  connections  with  all  the  railroads  in  that 
direction,  through  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  to  South  Carolina, 
Georgia,  Florida,  etc. 

With  the  completion  of  the  Danville  connection,  the  Orange,  Alex- 
andria, and  Manassas  Rail  Road  will  own  and  operate  356^  miles  of 
railway ;  and  it  is  due  to  the  management  to  say  that  no  great  road 
in  the  United  States  is  better,  if  as  well,  managed. 

THE  ALEXANDRIA  AND  FREDERICKSBURG  RAILWAY. 

This  road  was  completed  and  put  in  operation  within  the  past  six 
months,  and  by  it  Alexandria  and  Washington  and  the  cities  north 
of  them  enjoy  additional  rail  communication  with  the  city  of  Rich- 
mond and  points  south.  This  line  passes  through  the  lower  eastern 
sections  of  the  tide-water  counties  of  Fairfax  and  Prince  William, 
which  have  heretofore  never  had  any  railroad  facilities  whatever,  and, 
while  greatly  contributing  to  the  material  development  of  that  por- 
tion of  the  State,  will  add  to  the  business  interests  of  Alexandia, 
which  is  the  natural  market  for  all  that  section  of  country. 

THE  ALEXANDRIA  AND  WASHINGTON  RAIL  ROAD 

Is  a  valuable  link  between  the  cities  of  Alexandria  and  Washington, 
six  miles  in  length,  by  which  these  cities  are  brought  into  close  and 


21 


frequent  communication.  At  one  mile  and  a  half  from  Alexandria, 
the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  has  formed  a  connection  with 
this  road,  and  over  it  its  passengers  and  freight,  for  Washington  City 
and  points  north  and  west,  pass  daily  without  change  of  cars.  The 
Baltimore  and  Potomac  Rail  Road  Company  has  very  recently  com- 
pleted, and  now  uses,  a  substantial  Railroad  bridge,  one  mile  in  length, 
which  spans  the  Potomac  at  Washington. 

THE  ALEXANDRIA  CANAL 

Is  seven  miles  long,  and  extends  from  the  terminus  of  the  Chesapeake 
and  Ohio  Canal  at  Georgetown,  D.  C,  to  Alexandria.  It  crosses  the 
Potomac  River  at  Georgetown  by  means  of  a  magnificent  aqueduct, 
and,  in  connection  with  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal,  is  largely 
engaged  in  the  transportation  of  coal  from  Cumberland,  Md.  The 
fine  facilities  afforded  at  Alexandria,  for  its  storage  and  shipment, 
enable  this  city  to  enjoy  a  liberal  share  of  this  important  trade,  as 
is  shown  by  the  coal  at  the  wharves,  and  the  shipping  taking  in 
freight. 

The  high  price  of  coal  in  England  has  recently  developed  a  new 
trade  in  the  shipment,  from  Alexandria  direct  to  Aspinwall  and  San 
Francisco,  of  large  supplies  of  Cumberland  coal  for  the  use  of  the 
steam  lines  engaged  in  the  China  and  Japan  seas  ;  and  in  case  these 
prices  are  maintained,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that,  in  a  short 
time,  the  ports  of  the  West  Indies,  Central  and  South  America  will 
be  supplied,  in  a  great  degree,  by  shipment  from  Alexandria. 

MANUFACTURES. 

Alexandria  presents  great  advantages  as  a  location  for  manufac- 
turing establishments  of  all  kinds. 

The  low  price  of  city  property,  and  the  great  demand  for  manu- 
factured articles,  offer  inducements  to  men  of  capital  and  enterprise 
to  establish  tanneries,  iron  foundries,  shoe  factories,  machine  shops, 
paper  mills,  breweries;  factories  for  making  agricultural  implements, 
buckets,  tubs,  brooms,  barrels,  matches,  etc.;  railroad  car  works; 
fertilizer  and  cement  mills;  stove  foundries;  tobacco,  woollen,  and 
cotton  factories ;  and,  in  short,  every  branch  of  mechanical  industry 
would  prosper  in  the  hands  of  enterprising  men  with  capital. 

It  has  now  in  successful  operation  one  steam  cotton  factory  em- 
ploying 125  operatives;  two  iron  foundries  and  machine  shops ;  three 
coach  factories ;  two  steam  planing  mills  and  sash  factories  ;  one  ex- 
tensive tannery,  the  largest  in  the  State,  with  a  branch  in  the  interior; 
two  steam  breweries,  one  very  extensive ;  two  brick  works,  one  ope- 
3 


22 


rated  by  steam  ;  two  lime-kilns,  which  fail  to  supply  the  demand  ;  one 
pottery;  two  extensive  steam  sumac  mills ;  one  ship  yard,  operated 
on  a  limited  scale ;  an  additional  one,  with  liberal  capital  and  energeti- 
cally conducted,  would  meet  with  good  success  ;  one  establishment 
for  the  manufacture  of  mineral  waters,  and  four  furniture  manufac- 
tories, in  addition  to  numerous  other  branches  of  industry.  It  has 
two  daily  newspapers,  two  tri-weekly,  and  four  weekly. 

The  machine  shops  and  locomotive  and  car  works  of  the  Orange, 
Alexandria,  and  Manassas,  and  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Roads, 
at  Alexandria,  are  very  extensive  and  complete.  These  works  give 
employment  to  a  large  number  of  mechanics  and  artisans,  and  the 
work  the}'-  turn  out  will  compare  favorably  with  that  of  similar  estab- 
lishments in  the  country.  The  Potomac  fisheries  (long  noted  for  their 
value),  and  the  Chesapeake  oyster  trade,  afford  employment  to  a  very 
considerable  portion  of  the  population  of  Alexandria. 

The  educational  advantages  of  Alexandria  are  well  known.  It  has 
excellent  male  and  female  seminaries  and  schools.  Its  public  schools 
are  not  excelled  by  any  similar  institutions  in  the  country.  The  whole 
number  of  graded  public  schools  during  the  year  ending  August  31, 
1872,  was  6  ;  number  of  teachers,  16  ;  number  of  pupils,  983,  of  which 
there  were  612  white,  and  371  colored;  total  cost  of  education, 
$9884  72.  At  the  same  time  there  were  32  private  and  parochial 
schools,  with  1255  pupils,  of  which  there  were  of  white  children  933, 
and  322  colored.  There  were  fully  85  per  cent,  of  the  white,  and  70 
per  cent,  of  the  colored  children  between  the  ages  of  six  and  sixteen 
at  school  last  year. 

Alexandria  has  twenty  churches  of  various  denominations,  all  of 
which  are  generally  well  supported. 

With  all  these  and  the  other  advantages  it  is  known  to  possess,  it  is 
not  too  much  to  say  that  Alexandria  is  growing  in  wealth  and  im- 
portance, and  offers  a  fine  field  to  enterprising  men  of  capital  from 
the  other  sections  of  the  country  and  from  Europe. 

ALEXANDRIA  COUNTY,  VA. 

This  county  embraces  a  small  extent  of  territory  on  the  west  side 
of  the  Potomac  River,  north  of  the  city  of  Alexandria,  and  south  and 
opposite  to  the  cities  of  Washington  and  Georgetown.  Its  greatest 
length  is  about  ten  miles,  and  its  width  about  four  miles.  Exclusive  of 
the  city  of  Alexandria,  the  seat  of  justice,  which  is  embraced  within 
the  limits  of  the  county,  the  population  in  1870  was  3185. 

The  great  railway  lines,  between  the  North  and  South,  pass  through 


28 


this  county  a  distance  of  six  miles,  and  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road  traverses  it,  in  a  northwest  direction,  a  distance  of  about 
eight  miles. 

It  has  two  good  turnpikes,  several  county  roads,  and  three  splendid 
bridges  (over  the  Potomac)  leading  to  the  District  cities.  Two  of 
these  bridges  are  free,  and  are  kept  in  order  by  the  United  States 
government.  These  advantages,  together  with  its  proximity  to  the 
markets  of  Alexandria,  Washington,  and  Georgetown,  render  the  lands 
in  this  county  very  valuable  as  truck  farms  or  market  gardens,  these 
cities  affording  a  demand  for  all  the  crops  that  are  produced. 

Within  the  past  six  years  extensive  brick  works  have  been  put  in 
operation  on  the  lands  in  this  county  contiguous  to  what  is  known  as 
the  Long  Bridge,  and  supply,  in  a  great  measure,  the  material  used 
in  the  great  improvements  now  being  prosecuted  in  the  ehyy  of  Wash- 
ington. These  enterprises  have  increased  the  population  of  the  county 
fully  2000  since  last  census  (1810),  when  it  was  reported  at  3185. 

The  Arlington  estate,  the  seat  of  the  late  George  Washington  Parke 
Custis,  and  of  his  son-in-law,  the  late  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  is  in 
this  count}7,  on  the  hills  overlooking  the  city  of  Washington,  three 
miles  distant.  This  splendid  domain,  embracing  over  one  thousand 
acres  of  land,  is  now  the  property  of  the  United  States  government, 
and  is  used  as  a  National  Cemetery  for  the  burial  of  the  soldiers  of 
the  Union  who  fell  in  the  late  terrible  conflict  between  the  States  of 
the  North  and  South,  and  as  such  is  an  object  of  great  interest  to 
visitors  from  this  and  other  lands. 

In  Alexandria  county  there  are  eight  public  schools  with  nine 
teachers,  having  423  pupils,  191  white  and  226  colored,  the  whole 
costing  $3241  65.  Sixty-one  per  cent,  of  all  persons  between  the  ages 
of  five  and  twenty-one  }rears  attended  school  during  the  year  ending 
August  31,  1812. 

FAIRFAX  COUNTY,  VA. 

The  Potomac  River  and  the  count}'  of  Alexandria  bound  it  on  the 
east,  the  county  of  Loudoun  lies  on  the  west,  and  Prince  William 
county  on  the  west  and  south.  It  is  drained  by  the  Potomac  River, 
the  Occoquan  River,  and  their  tributaries. 

The  Orange,  Alexandria,  and  Manassas  Rail  Road  passes  through 
this  county  in  a  westerly  direction,  the  Alexandria  and  Fredericks- 
burg Rail  Road  through  its  southeastern,  and  the  Washington  and 
Ohio  Rail  Road  along  its  northeastern  border. 

The  surface  is  diversified  with  hills  and  level  lands.  The  soil,  when 
properly  cultivated,  is  very  productive,  and  much  of  the  neglected 


24 


land  has  been,  and  is  now  being,  reclaimed  and  put  under  a  more 
thorough  system  of  culture  and  proves  to  be  highly  productive. 

Within  the  past  few  years  this  county  has  had  the  benefit  of  a  con- 
siderable immigration  from  the  Northern  and  Western  States,  and 
from  England;  and  as  a  consequence  has  undergone  material  improve- 
ment in  the  better  tillage  of  the  lands.  Many  new  buildings  have 
been  erected,  new  farms  opened,  and  miles  of  new  fencing  inclose 
fertile  fields  which  the  late  war  caused  the  owners  to  abandon. 

The  population  of  the  county  in  18*70  was  12,952,  an  increase  over 
that  of  1860,  notwithstanding  the  late  war,  audits  effects  on  its  pros- 
perity. 

Fairfax  C.  H.,  the  county  seat,  fifteen  miles  from  Alexandria  and 
Washington,  lies  between  the  Orange,  Alexandria,  and  Manassas  Rail 
Road  and  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  three  and  a  half  miles 
from  the  former,  at  Fairfax  Station,  and  four  and  a  half  miles  from 
Vienna,  a  thrifty  village  and  station,  on  the  latter.  Its  location  is  ele- 
vated, very  healthy,  with  the  purest  atmosphere  and  water,  and  is  sur- 
rounded with  a  lovely  panorama.  Here  are  located  the  usual  county 
buildings  where  Washington  had  often  appeared,  and  where  his  origi- 
nal will  is  preserved.  The  population  of  the  Court  House  is  500  or  600. 

Mount  Yernon,  in  life  the  home  of  the  great  Washington,  and 
now  his  resting-place,  is  ••situated  on  the  Potomac,  ten  miles  below 
Alexandria,  in  Fairfax  county,  is  kept  in  fine  state  of  preservation, 
and  by  steamer  is  frequented  daily  by  many  visitors,  foreign  as  well 
as  native,  and  is  also  accessible  by  a  good  road  from  Alexandria. 

The  Theological  Seminary  of  Virginia  is  in  this  county.  This 
institution,  in  a  properly  organized  form,  was  opened  in  Alexandria 
in  1823.  In  1821,  after  the  erection  of  the  first  building,  it  was  re- 
moved to  its  present  site,  a  hill  250  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Poto- 
mac, two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Alexandria,  and  seven  miles  in  a 
direct  line  from  Washington,  overlooking  both  cities  and  the  river.  In 
February,  1854,  a  charter  was  granted  by  the  Legislature  of  Virginia, 
and  soon  afterwards  new  buildings  were  erected.  These  consist  of 
the  Library,  St.  George's  Hall,  Aspinwall  Hall,  Bohlen  Hall,  and 
Meade  Hall.  The  buildings,  besides  these,  are  the  Professors'  houses 
and  the  Chapel.  Within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  Seminary  is  t lie 
Diocesan  High  School.  The  legal  style  of  the  corporation  is  "The 
Protestant  Episcopal  Theological  Seminary  and  High  School  in  Vir- 
ginia." The  post-office  address  is  "Theological  Seminary,  Fairfax 
Count}7,  Virginia." 


25 


The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  enters  Fairfax  County  eight 
miles  from  Alexandria,  and,  in  a  northwest  direction,  passes  through 
it  a  distance  of  about  twenty  miles.  It  has  five  stations  in  this 
county,  viz.:  Falls  Church,  Vienna,  Hunter's  Mill,  Thornton,  and 
Herndon. 

Falls  Church,  an  old  settlement,  takes  its  name  from  the  "  Great 
Falls"  of  the  Potomac,  a  few  miles  distant.  The  village  still  con- 
tains its  earliest  "  settler,"  in  the  shape  of  a  venerable  but  well-pre- 
served brick  edifice,  known  as  Falls  Church.  This  building  is  held 
in  great  veneration  by  the  people ;  the  material  used  in  its  construc- 
tion was  imported  from  England  prior  to  the  Revolution  ;  since  then 
it  has  passed  through  three  foreign  wars,  and  one  alight  "  home  un- 
pleasantness." 

Falls  Church  is  in  the  township  of  that  name,  which  contains  2461 
inhabitants  ;  is  on  the  Leesburg,  Alexandria,  and  Washington  Turn- 
pike;  is  seven  miles  from  the  county  seat,  and  by  the  Washington 
and  Ohio  Rail  Road  ten  miles  from  Alexandria  and  Washington. 

Within  the  past  few  j^ears  this  village  and  the  adjacent  country 
show  marked  improvement.  Many  new  buildings  of  modern  style 
have  been  erected,  and  immigration  and  the  improved  tillage  of  the 
soil  contribute  to  the  general  prosperity.  Many  officers  and  em- 
ployes of  the  government,  stationed  at  Washington,  reside  in  this 
vicinity,  and  pass  daily  to  and  from  Washington  over  the  railroad. 
An  extensive  nursery  is  located  at  Falls  Church,  and  during  the  past 
year  the  freight  and  passenger  business  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road,  at  this  station,  has  increased  fully  one  hundred  per  cent, 
over  the  preceding  year. 

Vienna  Station  is  in  Providence  township,  five  miles  west  of  Falls 
Church,  and  fifteen  from  Alexandria  and  Washington — a  new  village, 
and  one  of  the  fruits  of  the  railroad  ;  it  contains  about  150  inhabitants. 
In  this  vicinity  the  land  is  equal  to  any  on  the  railroad  east  of  Goose 
Creek.  The  village  contains  about  twenty  houses,  three  stores,  one 
plow  foundry  doing  a  good  business,  a  grist  and  saw  mill,  blacksmith, 
wagon  and  harness  makers'  establishments,  churches,  and  a  new 
public  school-house  having  fifty  scholars. 

The  Newtown,  Bucks  Count}'  (Pennsylvania)  Enterprise,  in  a  late 
number,  says :  "  Doctor  B.  M.  Collins,  formerly  of  Bucks  County, 
Pennsylvania,  now  residing  on  his  farm,  near  Vienna  Station,  writes, 
that  his  farming  operations  have  succeeded  beyond  his  expectations. 
It  is  not  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  but  the  soil  is  easily 
worked  and  more  quickly  renovated  by  lime  and  manure  than  Bucks 


26 


County  land.  Being  only  fourteen  miles  from  Washington  and  Alex- 
andria, these  fertilizers  are  cheap  and  abundant.  He  gets  lime  at 
Vienna  Station,  on  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  two  miles  from 
his  farm. 

"  The  Doctor  has  named  his  place  '  Pleasant  View,'  and  ib  is  a  most 
agreeable  home — good  society,  and  much  better  climate  than  here. 
The  air  south  of  the  Potomac  range  of  hills  is  unusually  bland  and 
free,  even  in  mid-winter,  from  sharp,  long-continued  freezing  keen- 
ness, enabling  them  to  commence  work  very  early  in  the  spring,  and 
to  continue  often  till  New  Year's. 

"Labor  is  abundant  at  moderate  prices,  and  quick  sale  for  every 
kind  of  produce  at  Washington,  and  but  one  day  required  to  attend 
market  and  return. 

"  Buyers  of  land  are  steadily  coming  in,  and  about  thirty  deeds  are 
recorded  at  the  court-house  every  month.  Good  farms,  with  neces- 
sary buildings,  bring  about  $30  per  acre.  It  cannot  be  many  years 
before  land  so  advantageously  situated,  with  its  unusual  market 
facilities  and  salubrious  climate,  will  rival  the  best  Pennsylvania 
farms  in  value. 

"  Fairfax  has  three  railroads,  crossing  the  county  about  ten  miles 
apart,  and  two  more  in  prospect.  From  about  fifteen  stations  pas- 
sengers can  take  the  cars  daily  and  go  to  an}7  part  of  the  United 
States.  With  so  many  advantages  to  recommend  it,  the  Doctor  ad- 
vises all  persons  who  think  of  changing  location  to  come  and  examine 
the  many  excellent  farms  for  sale  in  Fairfax  and  the  adjoining  coun- 
ties." 

Hunter's  Mill  Station  is  three  miles  west  of  Vienna,  and  eighteen 
from  Alexandria  and  Washington.  Apart  from  the  postal  facilities 
afforded  at  this  station,  this  place  is  of  but  little  importance.  The 
people  of  this  neighborhood  use  Vienna  Station  as  their  depot  for 
receiving  supplies  and  shipping  their  productions. 

Thornton  Station,  twenty-one  miles  from  Alexandria,  is  located 
in  a  thickly  wooded  country,  which  supplies  vast  quantities  of  railroad 
ties,  rails  for  fencing,  fire-wood,  and  timber.  Within  the  past  three 
years  two  cargoes  of  ship  timber  for  the  French  market  were  cut  and 
shipped  from  this  depot  to  Havre,  via  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road  to  Alexandria. 

Three  miles  north  from  Thornton's  is  the  village  of  Drainsville,  the 
country  surrounding  which  supplies  business  to  the  railroad  to  some 


27 


extent,  but,  lying  upon  a  good  turnpike  leading  to  Alexandria,  Wash' 
ington,  and  Georgetown,  the  people  of  that  portion  of  the  county 
generally  find  it  more  convenient  to  use  the  turnpike  in  the  transpor- 
tation of  their  products  to  market.  The  lands  in  this  neighborhood, 
convenient  to  the  station,  were  purchased  a  few  years  ago  by  an 
English  gentleman,  who  has  expended  a  considerable  sum  of  money 
in  the  development  of  this  portion  of  the  country. 

Herndon  Station,  twenty-three  miles  from  Alexandria,  is  an  impor- 
tant point  on  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road.  Within  a  compara- 
tively short  period  a  considerable  number  of  thrifty  farmers  have 
settled  in  this  vicinity  from  the  Northern  and  Western  States.  It  has 
the  advantage  of  a  good  supply  of  fine  timber  lying  within  easy 
reach  of  the  depot.  This  is  being  converted  into  hogshead  shook, 
which  are  shipped  to  Cuba  with  profit  to  the  manufacturer.  A  large 
operator  in  this  material,  from  the  State  of  Maine,  recently  made  a 
heavy  purchase  of  timbered  lands  three  miles  from  the  depot;  and  the 
low  price  at  which  these  lands  were  purchased  enables  him  to  place 
the  manufactured  article  in  Cuba  at  a  less  figure  than  those  engaged 
in  the  same  trade  in  Baltimore  and  other  northern  cities. 

Besides  the  heavy  shipments  of  fire-wood  from  this  station  to  Alex- 
andria and  Washington,  the  supply  necessary  for  the  use  of  the  Wash- 
ington and  Ohio  Rail  Road  is  considerable,  and  affords  a  ready 
market  for  all  that  is  offered.  Herndon  is  the  shipping  point  for  the 
neighboring  villages  of  Dranesville,  Chantilly,  Spring  Yale,  and 
Frying  Pan. 

A  paper  prepared  by  II.  C.  Williams,  Esq.,  on  fruit  culture,  and 
the  inducements  to  engage  in  this  branch  of  rural  industry  through- 
out the  country  he  has  sketched,  is  here  introduced. 

Major  Williams  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  and  was  an  in- 
telligent planter  in  the  State  of  Tennessee.  After  many  }rears'  ser- 
vice under  the  government  of  the  United  States  he  retired  to  a  farm 
near  Vienna  Station,  Fairfax  County,  on  which  he  had  previously 
planted  extensive  orchards,  since  which  time  (1850)  he  has  been  a 
devoted  fruit-grower.  Believing  that  he  understood  the  subject  in  all 
its  bearings,  and  wishing  to  present  reliable  information  thereon,  a 
contribution  on  this  subject  was  solicited  from  him,  to  which  atten- 
tion is  here  invited  : — 


28 


DESCRIPTIVE  SKETCH  OF  THE  COUNTRY  FROM  ALEXANDRIA 
TO  THE  BLUE  RIDGE— MINERALS— SOILS— ADAPTABILITY  TO 
GARDENING  AND  FRUIT  CULTURE. 

I  now  proceed  to  comply  with  your  request  to  furnish  some  notes 
on  the  geological  features  of  the  section  of  country  traversed  by  the 
Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  between  Alexandria  and  the  Blue 
Ridge,  with  the  minerals  that  occur  in  the  several  formations  ;  also, 
the  soils  derived  from  the  rocky  strata,  and  their  influence  in  fruit 
culture.  Strictly  speaking,  this  would  confine  me  to  the  counties  of 
Fairfax  and  Loudoun;  but  in  the  general  way  in  which  I  purpose  to 
treat  the  subjects  before  me,  my  remarks  will  be  found  applicable  to 
all  the  northern  counties  embraced  in  what  is  popularly  called  the 
Piedmont  region  of  Virginia. 

If  a  line  were  drawn  across  the  State  from  any  point  on  tide-water 
to  the  western  border,  the  same  geological  formations  would  be 
passed  over.  It  is,  however,  proper  to  observe  that  the  tertiary 
formations  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State  cover  a  large  area, 
while  north  of  Fredericksburg  they  are  scarcely  developed.  There- 
fore, on  the  line  of  the  road,  as  soon  as  we  reach  the  first  terrace  or 
secondary  banks  of  the  Potomac,  we  are  on  rocks  of  the  primordial 
series.  These  rocks  are  seen  at  Arlington  Old  Mills,  and  Carlin's 
Springs,  and  are  a  prolongation  of  the  strata  which  cross  the  Potomac 
between  the  Little  Falls  and  Georgetown. 

Near  the  eighth  mile-post  on  the  road  we  enter  upon  another  series 
of  rocks  overlying  those  we  have  passed.  These  rocks  are  talcose 
slates  and  schists,  which  crumble  down  readily,  forming  a  soil  of 
peculiar  characteristics.  The  direction  of  the  strata  has  a  general 
parallelism  with  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  an  average  breadth  of  fifteen 
miles.  This  belt,  for  convenience  sake,  will  be  called  in  this  paper 
the  Talcose  schist  formation.  It  extends  to  Herndon,  and  has  an 
average  breadth  of  fifteen  miles. 

The  soil  formed  by  the  disintegrated  schists  has  a  loose  texture; 
is  unctuous  to  the  touch  ;  is  light,  in  the  usual  meaning  of  the  term  ; 
and  warm.  It  varies  in  color  in  proportion  to  the  iron  contained  in 
the  rocks,  and  its  different  states  of  oxidation.  It  parts  freely  with 
water,  and,  where  the  surface  drainage  is  good,  which  is  seldom 
otherwise,  there  is  the  required  "  bottom  heat,"  an  object  never  out 
of  view  with  professional  horticulturists. 

There  are  but  few  minerals  occurring  in  this  formation.  Talc  and 
soapstone  are  found  in  some  parts  of  Fairfax  County.  Kaolin  or 
porcelain  clay  is  abundant.    It  is  first  seen  in  the  ridge  below  Falls 


29 


Church,  near  the  eastern  outcrop  of  this  formation.  East  of  Vienna 
there  are  several  beds  of  more  or  less  thickness,  alternating  with  the 
layers  of  schists,  and  extending  along  the  road  for  nearly  the  eighth 
of  a  mile.  The  greater  portion  of  the  kaolin  is  a  pure  white  ;  it  is 
in  a  state  of  great  fineness,  and  may  contain  a  very  small  percentage 
of  talc.  Submitting  specimens  to  Dr.  Antisell,  while  chief  chemist 
to  the  U.  S.  Agricultural  Department,  he  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that 
it  would  be  of  great  value  in  forming  a  glaze  for  the  higher  class  of 
porcelain  ware.  This  substance,  not  being  required  for  an}'  purpose 
in  a  country  where  agriculture  is  nearly  the  only  pursuit  of  the 
inhabitants,  has  so  far  remained  unused  and  unnoticed  ;  but  its 
locality  being  within  half  a  mile  of  a  railway  station  and  flourishing 
village,  it  cannot  be  supposed  that  it  will  much  longer  be  unap- 
propriated. A  plentiful,  healthful  country,  with  a  good  site  for 
buildings  for  manufactories,  on  a  railroad,  fourteen  and  a  half  miles 
from  a  commercial  city,  with  hourly  trains  to  the  national  metropolis, 
wood  and  water  convenient  and  abundant,  with  such  advantages  as  a 
mineral  of  such  value,  should  invite  enterprise  and  capital. 

The  next  change  in  geological  features  takes  place  near  Herndon. 
It  is  a  trap-ridge,  and,  beyond  yielding  some  basalts  and  minerals 
usual  to  such  intrusions,  possesses  but  little  interest.  It  however 
appears  to  mark  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  next-named  formation. 

The  Triassic  or  Bed  Sandstone  formation  spreads  out  from  the 
ridge  just  passed  to  the  foot  of  Catoctin  Mountain,  a  distance  of 
about  twenty  miles.  Here  the  rocks  of  the  Blue  Ridge  system  first 
appear,  and,  having  a  dip  to  the  south,  a  synclinal  valle}'  is  formed, 
along  which  the  calcareous  breccia,  or  "Potomac  marble"  of  former 
daj^s,  is  strewn  in  large  masses.  This  material,  once  so  popular  for 
architectural  purposes,  is,  by  the  discovery  of  other  marbles,  now 
only  valuable  for  being  converted  into  lime. 

The  Red  Sandstone  is  one  of  the  most  durable  building  stones  in 
the  country.  The  Smithsonian  Institution  in  Washington  is  built 
of  it.  On  the  line  of  the  road  it  is  often  seen  in  layers  of  different 
thickness,  easily  separable,  and  should  the  demand  in  the  city  con- 
tinue, the  quarrying  and  sending  it  there  will  doubtless  at  no  distant 
day  be  a  profitable  business. 

The  disintegration  of  this  sandstone  forms  a  dark  or  reddish-brown 
soil.  It  is  open  and  porous,  and,  like  all  soils  in  which  silex  prepon- 
derates, admits  the  free  sinking  of  water.  Having  less  capillary 
attraction  than  clayey  soils,  where  deep  tillage  has  been  practised, 
droughts  rarely  injure  growing  crops. 

In  this  formation  few  minerals  have  been  discovered.    Some  years 


30 


since  there  were  a  number  of  beds  of  the  sulphate  of  baryta  scat- 
tered through  the  counties  of  Fauquier  and  Prince  William,  but  they 
have  been  exhausted.  Traces  of  copper  are  found  in  some  of  the 
layers  of  this  formation,  but  are  not  to  be  regarded  as  indications  of 
any  valuable  deposit. 

The  next  formation  as  we  ascend  the  country  west  of  Leesburg  is 
composed  of  the  various  rocks  peculiar  to  the  Blue  Ridge.  These 
consist  of  gneiss,  clayslate,  hornblende,  greenstone,  quartz,  mica, 
talcose  schists,  epidote,  and  chlorite.  The  rocks  appear  in  great 
confusion,  in  consequence  of  the  pitching  and  folding  of  the  strata 
during  the  upheaval  of  the  Blue  Ridge  and  its  outlines.  As  a  con- 
sequence of  such  violent  action  and  subsequent  denudation  and 
disintegration  of  the  various  rocks,  the  Piedmont  region  is  emi- 
nently diversified  by  its  minor  ridges,  numerous  foot  hills,  gentle 
undulations,  and  level  plains. 

A  soil  derived  from  the  disintegration  of  so  many  kinds  of  rocks, 
rich  in  the  elements  of  vegetable  nutrition,  would  at  once  establish 
its  claims  to  a  high  reputation  for  fertility.  The  undecomposed  rocks 
yet  on  the  surface  or  slightly  imbedded,  containing  lime,  potash,  and 
the  oxides  of  iron,  constitute  a  reserve  in  the  soil  which  annual  crops 
will  not  exhaust  for  ages.  The  crumbling  down  of  the  gneissoidal 
rocks  in  this  section  leaves  on  the  surface  small  whitish  pebbles, 
forming  what  are  locally  called  "hominy  soils."  These  pebbles  con- 
tain at  least  twelve  per  cent,  of  potash.  The  potash  is  liberated 
slowly  by  atmospheric  agencies,  and,  being  washed  down  the  sides  of 
the  hills,  shows  its  effects  in  a  luxurious  vegetation.  The  small 
barren  knolls,  instead  of  being  waste  places  on  the  farm,  are  really 
its  supporters  of  fertility.  The  soil  also  contains  lime,  magnesia, 
and  the  oxides  of  iron,  and  is  capable  of  growing  a  great  variet}'  of 
plants.  The  coarse  particles  of  which  the  soil  is  composed  prevent 
washing,  which  is  eminently  suggestive  of  deep  tillage.  Every 
farmer  who  plows  deep  one  year  is  but  bringing  up  matters  to  be 
pulverized  and  form  fertilizing  ingredients  for  his  next  }Tear's  crop.* 

Although  the  great  source  of  wealth  in  the  Piedmont  range  consists 
in  its  multiplied  agricultural  capabilities,  it  is  not  destitute  of  valuable 

*  These  remarks  will  he  better  understood  by  the  following  quotation  from 
Baron  Liebig :  "A  thousandth  part  of  loam  mixed  with  the  quartz  in  the  new 
red  sandstone  (Friassic),  or  with  the  lime  in  the  different  limestone  formations, 
affords  as  much  potash  to  the  soil  only  twenty  inches  in  depth  as  is  sufficient 
to  supply  a  forest  of  pines  growing  upon  it  for  a  century.  A  single  cnhit  of 
feldspar  is  sufficient  to  supply  a  wood  covering  a  surface  of  26,910  square  feet 
with  the  potash  required  for  five  years." 


31 


minerals.  The  calcareous  breccia  lias  been  already  mentioned.  A 
quarry  of  marble  is  now  being  opened  on  the  lands  of  Mr.  Carter,  on 
Goose  Creek,  in  Loudoun  County.  Its  texture  and  purity  adapt  it  to 
the  highest  purposes  of  statuary.  Crystallized  marble  of  excellent 
quality  occurs  on  the  lands  of  Mr.  George  S.  Ayre,  near  Upperville. 
On  Dr.  A.  S.  Payne's  farm,  near  Markham  station,  in  Fauquier  County, 
marble  again  appears,  the  outcrops  forming  large  ridges  and  hills, 
indicating  an  inexhaustible  deposit.  It  is  penetrated  by  crystals  of 
epidote,  and  contains  other  mineral  matters  often  disseminated  as  a 
coloring,  which  give  to  polished  specimens  a  beauty  and  variegation 
equal  to  any  other  marble  in  the  world. 

As  a  building  stone  where  a  smooth  surface  is  not  desirable,  the 
quartzite  slates  at  Thoroughfare  Gap  cannot  be  excelled  for  strength 
or  durability.  The  layers  are  of  thicknesses  from  a  few  inches  to  a 
foot  or  more.  These  can  be  taken  out  of  the  strata  of  any  desired 
length  and  breadth,  and  are  as  smooth  on  the  sides  as  if  they  had 
passed  through  a  mill. 

Years  ago  a  bed  of  iron  ore  was  worked  at  the  foot  of  the  Catoctin 
Mountain,  near  the  Point  of  Rocks  on  the  Potomac.  Indications  of 
the  existence  of  iron  are  frequent  along  the  base  of  that  mountain. 

Asbestos  has  been  discovered  in  Loudoun  County.  Ochres  are 
abundant  in  the  Piedmont  range. 

GENERAL  FEATURES  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

The  country  rises  from  tide  water  to  the  Blue  Ridge,  the  summit 
of  which  by  the  railroad  surveys  has  an  altitude  of  one  thousand  and 
eight}r-four  feet.  The  surface  is  rolling;  gentle  declivities  affording 
ample  means  for  surface  drainage.  Small  streams  abound,  and  springs 
of  purest  water  are  on  nearly  every  farm.  When  necessary  to  sink 
wells,  water  equal  to  that  of  the  springs  is  procured  at  a  depth  seldom 
beyond  the  lifting  power  of  the  common  pump.  There  are  no  marshes 
or  stagnant  pools  to  cause  malarious  diseases. 

Forests  of  the  original  growth  are  yet  interspersed  through  the 
country.  In  many  places  a  growth  of  young  pines  shows  that  the 
lands  have  become  partially  deteriorated  by  continued  cropping,  and 
have  been  turned  out  to  rest  and  recuperate  by  a  natural  process. 
After  sustaining  a  forest  of  pines  for  about  twenty  years,  oaks  and 
hickories  begin  to  appear,  proving  that  the  lands  are  again  becoming 
fitted  for  the  plow.  This  course  of  exhaustion  and  renovation  has 
sometimes  been  censured  by  superficial  critics,  yet  it  has  its  beneficial 
effects.  It  preserves  a  just  balance  in  heat  and  moisture,  keeps  the 
country  supplied  with  wood,  shelters  growing  crops  from  strong  winds, 
and  preserves  the  health  of  the  country. 


32 


As  we  ascend  the  country  complaints  are  less  frequent  in  regard  to 
losses  by  late  spring  and  early  autumn  frosts.  This  is  verified  b}rmy 
experience  of  thirty  3Tears  as  an  orchardist.  Though  but  four  hundred 
and  forty  feet  above  the  level  of  tide,  it  is  a  veiy  rare  occurrence  to 
lose  a  crop  of  fruit  by  late  spring  frosts.  On  some  of  the  elevations 
of  the  Piedmont  region  aged  persons  are  to  be  found  who  will  sa}'  that 
they  never  knew  the  fruit  to  be  destroyed  by  late  spring  frosts.  Per- 
haps their  memories  may  be  sometimes  at  fault,  but  after  being  an 
observer  of  meteorological  phenomena  for  the  Smithsonian  Institution 
for  some  years  past,  and  reviewing  the  observations  of  my  son  for  the 
same  purpose  made  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  at  an  ele- 
vation of  about  nine  hundred  feet,  I  must  say  that  the  disasters  from 
this  cause  are  as  unfrequent  as  in  any  other  part  of  the  United  States. 

With  this  brief  preliminary  sketch  I  will  now  endeavor  to  give  the 
fruit-growing  capabilities  of  the  country,  and  incidentally  to  state  the 
inducements  to  increased  culture. 

SMALL  FRUITS  AND  GARDENING. 

The  lands  adjacent  to  the  railroad  are  well  adapted  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  all  the  small  fruits  and  vegetables  peculiar  to  the  climate.  The 
strawberry,  raspberry,  and  blackberry  are  indigenous  plants.  The 
latter  when  cultivated  attains  a  large  size  and  high  flavor.  If  any  of 
the  varieties  on  the  nurserymen's  catalogues  possess  any  merit  over 
our  wild  variety  when  cultivated,  I  have  not  been  able  to  discover  it. 
Large  quantities  are  annually  gathered  from  the  old  fields  and  woods 
and  sold  in  the  Washington  market.  Other  wild  fruits  are  held  in 
high  esteem,  and  are  sold  at  good  prices  ;  whortleberries,  chinquepins, 
chestnuts,  walnuts,  and  hickory  nuts  may  be  mentioned  as  always 
being  in  demand. 

Large  fields  of  strawberries  are  cultivated,  and  yet  the  supply  falls 
short  of  the  demand.  Raspberries,  gooseberries,  and  currants  have 
an  increasing  demand  ;  indeed,  of  these  small  fruits  it  may  be  cor- 
rectly said  that  the  public  appetite  "grows  by  what  it  feeds  upon." 

In  garden  vegetables,  everything  required  for  the  most  sumptuous 
tables  is  grown  to  perfection.  Here,  as  in  other  cases,  to  enable  per- 
sons not  acquainted  witli  the  productions  of  our  soil  and  climate,  I 
will  mention  the  following  vegetables  grown  by  the  most  simple 
means  of  cultivation :  Peas,  beans,  potatoes  (both  Irish  and  sweet), 
watermelons,  canteloupes,  pumpkins,  squashes,  cucumbers,  cabbages, 
turnips,  radishes,  asparagus,  spinach,  celery,  tomatoes,  peanuts 
(Arachishypogea),  leeks,  and  onions. 


33 

For  raising  poultry,  this  is  excelled  by  no  other  country. 

For  truck  farms,  or  large  gardens  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of 
vegetables  to  supply  the  city  markets,  the  lands  adjacent  to  the  rail- 
roads are  admirably  adapted.  The  undulating  surface  of  the  country 
gives  every  desired  exposure ;  the  higher  grounds  being  warm  and 
dry,  and  the  intervales  retentive  of  moisture,  and  cool,  the  skilful 
gardener  can  be  at  no  loss  for  the  proper  location  of  his  plants.  It 
may  be  said,  also,  that  effective  modes  of  irrigation  might  be  intro- 
duced at  a  moderate  expense.  The  great  accession  to  the  population 
of  the  city  of  Washington  within  the  last  ten  years,  without  a  corre- 
sponding increase  in  the  several  classes  of  producers,  has  led  to  high 
prices  in  the  vegetable  market,  and  caused  the  supply  to  be  drawn 
from  a  distance.  It  cannot  be  supposed  that  such  a  state  of  things 
will  become  permanent,  for  high  prices  are  too  great  incentives  to 
production  to  permit  it  to  become  so.  A  change  has  already  begun, 
and  the  increased  railway  facilities  will  have  the  effect  of  reducing 
the  expenses  of  market  gardening.  Heretofore  this  business  was  fol- 
lowed only  by  persons  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city,  who  used  their  own 
means  of  transportation.  Relatively  their  numbers  have  not  in- 
creased, and  the  necessary  supply  must  reach  the  city  by  railroads. 
The  cheap  lands  adjacent  to  the  railroad  offer  superior  inducements 
in  this  direction. 

Since  my  first  acquaintance  in  the  cit}'  of  Washington,  market 
gardening  has  been  a  lucrative  business,  and  I  could  mention  the 
names  of  many  persons  who  have  acquired  handsome  fortunes  by 
following  it. 

Since  the  restoration  of  peace  the  following  villages  have  sprung 
up,  being  one  of  the  first  results  of  the  successful  operation  of  the 
Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  :  Yienna,  Herndon,  Guilford,  Farm- 
well,  and  Clark's  Gap,  all  of  which  have  become  business  centres  of 
neighborhood  industries.  At  these  places  country  produce  meets  a 
ready  sale  to  persons  engaged  in  a  traffic  between  the  city  and  country. 
Literally,  a  farmer  or  a  gardener  may  have  a  market  at  his  own  door. 

The  cheapness  of  living  and  the  proverbial  health  of  the  country 
have  induced  a  number  of  mechanics  to  settle  in  the  villages  to  follow 
their  vocations.  Of  one  only  I  shall  speaft.  At  Yienna,  where  at  the 
close  of  the  war  there  were  only  a  few  half-destroyed  houses,  and  one 
family  residing,  there  are  now  three  stores,  two  wheelwright  shops, 
two  blacksmiths'  shops,  a  steam  saw  and  grist  mill,  a  chair-maker's 
shop  (about  to  be  established),  a  foundry  and  plow  manufactory. 
As  an  instance  that  mechanical  pursuits  can  be  followed  successfully 


34 


in  the  country,  I  will  state  that  during  the  present  37ear  a  large  order 
for  wagons  was  filled  in  Vienna  for  persons  in  business  in  Washing- 
ton City. 

The  attractions  of  the  country,  with  its  healthfulness  and  cheapness 
of  living,  now  that  these  are  opened  by  railway  conveniences,  are  begin- 
ning to  be  appreciated  by  officers  of  the  public  departments  in  Wash- 
ington City.  A  number  of  these  have  their  residences  near  the  sta- 
tions, going  to  and  returning  daily  from  their  places  of  business  at  a 
less  annual  expense  than  forty  j^ears  ago  they  could  have  reached  their 
offices  and  returned  home  had  they  resided  in  Georgetown,  not  two 
miles  distant.  A  public  officer  in  Washington,  with  a  salary  of  $2000 
per  annum,  may  expect  to  pay  $500  for  a  house,  or  $2000  in  four 
years.  If  living  in  the  country,  and  going  to  and  returning  on  an 
annual  ticket,  for  $60  per  annum  for  four  years,  or  $240,  there  would 
be  a  saving  in  the  item  of  house  rent  alone  of  $1760,  a  sum  sufficient 
to  pay  for  a  small  tract  of  land  and  erect  a  comfortable  cottage 
on  it. 

In  other  respects,  the  saving  that  could  be  effected  by  keeping  one 
or  two  cows,  raising  poultry,  growing  garden  vegetables  and  fruits, 
if  for  private  use  only,  the  expense  of  supporting  a  family  would  be 
reduced  to  a  nominal  sum. 

FRUIT  GROWING. 

With  the  preceding  excursive  remarks,  I  will  now  proceed  to  the 
consideration  of  fruit  culture.  How  far  the  foregoing  may  be  re- 
garded as  necessary  and  proper  to  a  correct  understanding  of  the 
subject,  it  is  not  my  province  to  judge.  But  if  it  should  be  charged 
that  I  have  spent  too  much  time  in  elucidating  irrelevant  matters, 
and  prolixity  of  style,  I  can  but  say  in  my  defence  that  I  did  so  to  pre- 
sent the  matter  in  all  its  bearings,  to  enable  persons  not  having  a 
personal  knowledge  of  the  country  to  form  proper  conclusions.  They 
can  determine  when  and  how  far  it  can  be  connected  with  other  pur- 
suits, or  whether  to  engage  in  this  business  alone. 

Virginians  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  like  most  other  people, 
have  given  their  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  those  staples  which 
entered  into  the  commerce  of  the  country.  Until  late  years,  there 
being  no  home  market  for  fruit,  farmers  contented  themselves  with 
growing  only  such  as  were  required  for  family  use.  In  the  progress 
of  the  age  this  thing  has  passed  away.  Now,  by  the  growth  of  our 
neighboring  city  of  Washington,  we  have  a  demand  in  excess  over 
production,  with  the  assurance  which  quick  and  safe  transportation 
give,  that  when  we  shall  be  able  to  produce  a  surplus  over  home  con- 


35 


sumption  it  can  be  disposed  of  in  distant  markets  at  remunerative 
prices. 

Every  experienced  pomologist  who  lias  travelled  through  Virginia 
lias  been  favorably  impressed  with  the  fruit-growing  capabilities  of  the 
State.  Such  was  the  opinion  generally  expressed  by  the  members  of 
the  American  Pomological  Societ}r,  which  held  its  last  biennial  meet- 
ing in  Richmond,  the  State  capital,  in  September,  1871.  That  meeting 
was  attended  by  delegates  and  members  from  every  State  and  territory 
in  the  Union,  with  few  exceptions.  Though  this  State  was  but  par- 
tially represented  in  the  exhibition  of  fruits,  it  was  a  subject  of  general 
remark  that  in  the  quality  and  variety  of  our  peaches,  apples,  pears, 
quinces,  plums,  grapes,  and  figs  no  other  State  in  the  Union  could  com- 
pete with  us. 

The  Potomac  Fruit  Growers'  Association,  composed  mostly  of 
citizens  from  other  States  who  have  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Wash- 
ington in  years  past,  held  its  first  annual  meeting  in  that  city  in  last 
September.  The  display  of  fruits  on  that  occasion,  the  first  for  nine- 
teen years,  was  such  as  to  excite  the  wonder  and  astonishment  of  all 
experienced  and  scientific  pomologists  present.  The  collection  of 
grapes  and  pears  was  pronounced  by  Mr.  John  Saul,  whose  name 
carries  authority  with  it  on  such  subjects,  to  be  the  largest  in  variety 
and  best  in  quality  that  had  ever  been  exhibited  in  the  United  States. 
There  were  also  fine  assortments  of  peaches  and  apples  for  the  season. 
In  the  course  of  the  discussion,  a  member,  formerly  a  citizen  of  New 
York,  stated  the  exalted  opinion  of  Mr.  Charles  Downing  in  regard  to 
fruit  culture  in  this  State. 

After  stating  opinions  of  such  high  authority,  it  may  be  thought 
that  I  should  rest  the  case.  I  should  do  so  if  I  were  addressing 
pomologists,  who  have  an  opportunity  to  investigate  the  peculiarities 
of  our  soil.  But  having  had  thirty  years'  experience  in  fruit  culture 
in  this  locality,  and  within  the  last  five  years  having  assisted  in  plant- 
ing trees  and  vines  on  the  red-sandstone  formation,  and  in  the  Pied- 
mont region,  I  will  devote  the  remainder  of  this  article  to  the  discus- 
sion of  the  varieties  proper  to  be  planted,  some  of  the  results  I  have 
attained,  and  probably  better  success  that  yet  awaits  those  who  will 
engage  in  this  interesting  department  of  rural  industry. 

1.  Of  the  Apple. 

When  selections  have  been  judiciously  made,  every  part  of  the  State 
has  produced  this  fruit  in  perfection.  I  shall  confine  my  remarks  to 
the  district  herein  sketched.  My  original  selection  was  made  with  the 
best  lights  before  me  thirty  years  ago.    It  should  be  borne  in  mind 


36 


that  was  about  the  time  that  fruit  culture  in  the  Northern  States  was 
attracting  increased  attention,  but  it  did  not  assume  a  definite  shape 
until  the  great  work  of  the  late  A.  J.  Downing,  published  in  1845,  gave 
method  and  science  to  an  art  variously  practised.  My  object  was  to 
make  an  orchard  in  the  first  place  to  supply  my  family,  and  send  the 
remainder  to  market.  I  endeavored  to  secure  a  succession  from  the 
earliest  summer  to  the  latest  winter-keeping  varieties.  The  selection 
was  good,  and  has  been  improved  by  other  sorts  as  they  have  since 
risen  into  favor.  The  first  planting  was  in  the  spring  of  1843,  but 
additions  were  made  for  several  years  afterwards.  The  location  was 
on  a  farm  through  which  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  now 
runs,  one  mile  from  the  village  of  Vienna.  The  elevation  is  four  hun- 
dred and  fort}' -five  feet  above  the  level  of  tide-water. 

Residing  in  Washington  at  the  time,  I  was  under  the  necessity  of 
trusting  the  management  of  the  trees  to  persons  not  accustomed  to 
the  management  of  orchards.  It  was  not  until  1853  that  the  trees 
gave  a  good  crop,  and  that  year,  at  the  first  fair  of  the  Virginia  State 
Agricultural  Society,  I  was  awarded  the  premium  "  for  the  largest 
and  best  variety  of  apples  adapted  to  general  cultivation  in  the 
State." 

The  following  varieties  I  can  confidently  recommend  for  cultivation 
in  the  districts  before  noticed  as  the  Talcose  slate  and  Tmassic  for- 
mations. 

Summer  Varieties. — Red  Astrachan,  Early  Bough,  Yellow  Harvest, 
Porter,  Gravestein,  Red-streak,  Hagloe,  Summer  Queen,  Maiden's 
Blush.  To  these  may  be  added  Edward's  Early,  a  very  promising 
new  sort. 

Fall   Varieties. — Wetherell's  White  Sweet,  Tulpehocken,  Benoni, 

Rambo,  Fall  Harve}',  Fall  Pippin. 
Late  Fall  and  Early  Winter. — Wine,  Bullock's  Pippin,  Roman  Stem, 

Smokehouse  and  Hix's  White. 
Mid  Winter. — Smith's  Cider,  Genet,  Winesap,  Pomme  d'Api  or  Lady 

Apple. 

Late  Winter  and  Spring. — Tewksbury,  American  Pippin  or  Grind- 
stone, late  Russet. 
Few  persons  who  make  orchards  for  profit  would  be  willing  to 
plant  all  these  varieties.  All  are  of  the  highest  merit,  and  I  give  the 
list  more  to  be  a  guide  to  the  best  varieties  of  their  season  than  as 
recommending  them  for  a  single  orchard.  Summer  varieties  are 
seldom  profitable,  for  the  reason  that  peaches  and  pears,  which  ripen 
with  them,  are  preferred  for  the  dessert.  For  drying  eveiy  orchard 
should  have  a  few  of  the  higher  flavored  sorts. 


37 


The  following  varieties  (mostlj-of  southern  origin)  deserve  extensive 
trial,  and  are  recommended  to  those  who  are  fond  of  experimenting  and 
testing  the  merits  of  fruits,  viz  :  Limber-twig,  Ben  Davis,  Equinately, 
Hall's  Red,  Meade's  Kuper,  Milan,  Nickijack,  Shockley,  Mattamus- 
keet,  and  Cannon  Pearmain.  Experiments,  however,  had  better  be  left 
to  nurserymen,  and  after  the  orchards  are  made  of  the  most  popular 
varieties  at  the  time,  additions  can  be  introduced  from  those  which 
give  most  promise.  For  market  the  following  fall  and  winter  varie- 
ties meet  the  readiest  sales  :  Rambo,  Smokehouse,  Bullock's  Pippin, 
Smith's  Cider,  Genet,  Winesap,  Pomme  d'Api,  and  Tewksbury. 
These  will  ghre  a  succession  from  the  first  killing  frost  in  autumn  till 
the  following  June. 

All  the  varieties  named  in  the  first  list  succeed  well  on  the  soils 
derived  from  the  metamorphic  rocks  of  the  Piedmont  region.  There, 
however,  it  would  be  well  to  substitute  the  Milan,  London  Pippin, 
and  the  Albemarle  Pippin,  for  the  Roman  Stem,  American  Pippin, 
and  Late  Russet. 

For  the  New  York  market  and  for  shipment  to  England,  the  Pomme 
d'Api  and  Albemarle  Pippin  command  the  highest  prices.  By  the 
Neiv  York  Tribune  of  November  16th,  1 872,  the  Pomme  d'Api  is 
quoted  at  from  $6  to  $9  per  barrel,  while  $3  is  the  highest  price 
offered  for  other  varieties.  It  here  keeps  well  till  February,  and  then 
is  in  perfection,  but,  unfortunately,  its  great  beauty  and  attractive- 
ness cause  it  to  be  sacrificed  long  before  it  should  be  used  for  the 
dessert. 

An  erroneous  opinion  prevails  in  regard  to  the  time  required  for  a 
young  orchard  to  come  into  bearing.  It  is  usually  stated  to  be  ten 
years.  In  that  time  I  am  confident  that  I  could  make  an  orchard 
with  trees  two  years  old  from  the  graft  pay  all  expenses,  and  for  the 
land  they  stood  on  if  not  held  at  an  extravagant  figure.  I  know  that 
this  will  be  considered  a  bold  assertion.  But  I  am  certain  that,  when 
my  practice  shall  be  tested  by  well-established  principles  of  vegetable 
physiolog^y,  I  shall  be  acquitted  of  any  charge  derogatory  to  the 
character  of  a  veteran  orchardist.  I  have  made  known  my  mode  of 
training  young  trees  to  but  a  small  circle  of  friends,  and  insisted  that 
they  should  satisfy  themselves  whether  there  was  any  humbug  or 
necromancy  in  it.  This  opportunity  enables  me  to  give  my  theories 
a  wider  range,  and  I  do  so  for  the  purpose  of  inducing  others  to  en- 
gage in  fruit  culture  to  augment  their  own  wealth  and  benefit  man- 
kind. 

In  the  first  place,  if  I  have  a  well-grown  stocky  tree  two  years  from 
the  graft,  I  head  it  back  to  the  lowest  well-developed  buds,  of  course, 
4 


38 


on  the  previous  year's  growth  ;  I  shall  omit  all  other  things  in  regard 
to  setting  the  tree,  supposing  they  will  be  properly  clone,  and  only 
give  what  may  be  regarded  as  new  in  practice.  The  object  in  view  is 
to  start  two  branches  near  the  ground,  say  between  two  and  three 
feet.  The  young  tree  is  to  be  watched,  and  the  whole  of  the  vital 
forces  thrown  into  the  two  branches,  stopping  the  growth  of  all  other 
shoots.  Some  trees  will  make  a  vigorous  growth  the  first  year,  but 
it  is  better  to  take  two  years  in  forming  the  next  bifurcation  than  to 
do  so  in  one.  The  following  season  the  two  branches  are  to  be  shortened 
back  about  four  feet  from  the  ground.  On  each  of  these  branches  an- 
other bifurcation  is  to  be  formed  in  the  manner  of  the  preceding  year. 
There  are  now  four  limbs  to  constitute  the  framework  of  the  future 
tree,  which  will  require  little  pruning  for  several  years.  The  fourth 
year  after  planting  it  will  usually  begin  to  bear  fruit,  and  as  the  roots 
are  well  established  before  it  has  much  head,  it  will  soon  make  up 
lost  time,  and  continue  to  grow  and  bear  fruit.  Low  heads  are  re- 
quired in  this  climate,  and  short  stems  alwa3^s  make  the  most  healthy 
trees.  The  several  deflections  of  the  sap  from  a  vertical  line  promote 
the  ripening  of  the  wood  and  the  early  formation  of  fruit  buds.  In 
this  climate  trees  in  good  soils  are  inclined  to  run  too  much  to  wood, 
and  I  plant  trees  for  fruit,  not  to  grow  timber.  I  shall  follow  this 
practice  until  I  quit  the  business. 

Another  very  good  way  is  to  head  back,  and  let  three  buds  push  to 
form  the  future  head.    The  other  mode  is  preferable. 

This  article  being  intended  for  the  information  of  emigrants,  it  is 
an  object  with  me  to  give  such  details  as  will  enable  such  as  desire 
to  form  orchards  to  do  so  at  once.  There  are  several  large  nursery 
establishments  in  the  State,  conducted  by  gentlemen  of  probit}'  and 
intelligence,  from  whom  all  the  desired  nursery  stock  can  be  obtained 
on  favorable  terms,  and  strangers  will  find  it  to  their  interest  to 
patronize  them. 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  the  apple,  it  is  but  proper  to  observe 
that  it  is  the  opinion  of  mai^  distinguished  pomologists  that  the 
belt  of  country  which  in  this  as  well  as  in  general  use  is  called  the 
44  Piedmont  region,"  embracing  the  outline  and  numerous  foot-hills 
of  the  Blue  Ridge,  constitute  the  best  apple-growing  district  in  the 
United  States.  The  special  recommendations  are,  first,  the  elevation 
and  consequent  exemption  from  loss  of  crops  by  late  frosts  in  spring, 
which  both  meteorological  data  and  experience  confirm;  and,  secondly, 
Try  the  decomposition  of  the  metamorphic  rocks,  which  put  lime  and 
potash  in  the  soil — mineral  elements  necessary  to  insure  full  develop- 
ment.   Trees  planted  even  in  soils  where  the  surface  has  been  ex- 


39 


hausted  by  superficial  tillage,  will  grow  and  flourish  for  nearly  a  cen- 
turjr.  This  is  seen  on  man}'  farms  in  this  region,  where  old  trees 
have  stood,  "  whereof  the  memory  of  man  runneth  not  to  the  con- 
trary." Shipments  of  apples  have  already  been  made  from  this  part 
of  the  State  to  England,  where  they  command  the  highest  price.  While 
I  full}-  accord  with  the  opinions  of  the  pomologists  from  other  States, 
as  before  stated,  with  the  reasons  for  my  concurrence,  I  must  say 
that  it  is  so  easy  a  matter  to  prepare  the  soil  for  trees  by  composts, 
that  persons  not  living  within  this  highly-favored  region  need  not 
despair  of  successfully  growing  the  apple. 

2.  The  Pear  and  Quince, 

The  same  soil  which  is  required  for  the  apple  is  also  required  for 
the  pear.  Here  it  succeeds  to  perfection.  For  varieties  no  other 
part  of  the  United  States  is  more  celebrated,  and  probably  there  is 
not  any  other  place  more  highly  favored  by  exemption  from  the 
blight.  I  have  cultivated  the  pear  since  1845;  the  Bloodgood,  the 
Bartlett,  Beurre  Diel,  Flemish  Beauty,  Urbaniste,  Seckel,  and  Winter 
Nelis ;  and  none  of  these  have  shown  any  signs  of  that  much-dreaded 
disease.  Other  cultivators  have  introduced  new  varieties,  and  have 
been  rewarded  to  their  entire  satisfaction.  This  can  but  prove  to  be 
one  of  our  most  remunerative  fruits,  whether  grown  on  dwarfs  or 
standards. 

The  quince,  also,  attains  fine  size,  and  would  doubtless  be  a  profit- 
able fruit  if  grown  for  the  New  York  market,  where  it  is  always  in 
demand. 

3.  The  Peach. 

This  has  been  the  fruit  par  excellence  of  the  Washington  market, 
and,  before  the  war,  was  grown  in  immense  quantities.  During  that 
unfortunate  period  many  fine  orchards  were  destroyed,  and  no  new 
ones  were  planted.  For  several  years  past  there  has  been  a  compara- 
tive scarcity,  and  the  supply  had  to  be  brought  from  a  distance.  But 
the  orchards  are  now  coming  into  bearing,  and  their  fruit  will  have 
the  preference  for  its  superior  size  and  freshness. 

On  our  talcose,  warm  soils  it  attains  the  highest  perfection.  I  have 
had  specimens  to  weigh  eleven  and  a  half  ounces,  and  equal  in  flavor 
to  any  I  have  eaten,  grown  in  the  States  of  Tennessee,  Arkansas,  and 
Texas.  It  is  in  season  from  the  25th  of  July  to  the  10th  of  October, 
or  rather  these  are  the  extremes  of  the  season  for  the  best  table  varie- 
ties. The  market  for  our  home-raised  sorts  usually  begins  about 
the  first  of  August.    When  properly  cared  for  the  fruit  comes  into 


40 


bearing  very  early.  This  year  T  sold  some  fruit  from  trees  planted 
one  year  from  the  bud  in  April,  1870.  I  raised  the  trees  myself,  and 
several  of  my  friends  who  planted  from  the  same  nursery  had  their 
trees  to  come  into  bearing,  as  also  my  younger  son,  who  has  his  or- 
chard on  the  Blue  Ridge  slope.  His  trees  were  from  the  nursery  of 
Mr.  John  Saul,  in  Washington  City.  Our  mode  of  training  is  to 
shorten  back  the  first  two  years,  and  after  that  time  to  pursue  a  sort 
of  shortening  back  and  renewal  system.  Our  object  is  to  keep  the 
heads  low,  and  not  too  much  bearing  wood.  Notwithstanding  all  my 
efforts  to  keep  my  trees  low,  some  are  now  fifteen  feet  high,  with  twelve 
feet  diameter  of  head.  I  used  no  compost  but  wood  ashes,  and  culti- 
vated the  orchard  in  potatoes,  peas,  and  beans.  The  ground  for  the 
potatoes  was  composted  with  sawdust  and  other  vegetable  matters, 
with  lime  to  decompose  them,  and  the  potatoes  when  prepared  for 
planting  were  wrhitened  with  ground  gypsum.  The  largest  specimen 
of  the  crop  of  1870  weighed  in  Alexandria  one  pound  and  twelve 
ounces,  last  ye&r  about  a  pound  and  a  quarter,  and  this  year  some 
were  again  weighed  in  Alexandria,  and  notwithstanding  the  great 
drought,  one  weighed  one  pound  and  three  ounces.  In  all  this 
there  is  nothing  extraordinary,  though  the  newspapers  in  publishing 
these  facts  considered  it  an  unusual  success  ;  if  so,  it  is  as  much 
within  the  grasp  of  others  as  myself.  The  peach  tree  is  not  that 
short-lived  tree  that  it  is  further  north.  At  the  exhibition  of  fruits 
by  the  Potomac  Fruit  Growers'  Association  I  had  peaches  grown  on 
a  tree  twenty-seven  years  planted,  and  it  looks  good  for  ten  more 
crops.  Here  the  disease  called  the  "  Yellows"  which,  as  well  as  the 
"  Pear  Blight,"  I  maintain  is  caused  by  a  defect  in  the  soil  in  connec- 
tion with  atmospheric  agencies,  is  wholly  unknown.  Trees  are  subject 
to  the  attacks  of  the  borer,  but  a  little  care  at  the  proper  time  saves 
loss.  Here  I  will  observe  that  neither  this  nor  any  other  orchard 
tree  is  ever  killed  by  severe  cold. 

In  the  treassic  or  red  sandstone  belt  the  peach  does  equall}-  woll, 
and  the  soil  is  admirably  adapted  to  its  cultivation.  A  stranger  judg- 
ing from  the  soil  might  give  preference  to  the  treassic,  but  having 
had  some  experience  on  it  also,  I  have  only  to  say  that  with  good 
feeding  with  composts,  in  which  wood-ashes  constitute  the  basis,  both 
formations,  as  I  have  alluded  to  them,  are  equal. 

Probably  on  the  Blue  Ridge  slope,  where  the  summer  temperature 
is  slightly  less  than  in  the  preceding,  the  peach  may  not  by  a  shade 
of  difference  be  either  as  large  or  as  finely  flavored  as  in  lower  and 
warmer  regions,  yet  from  specimens  which  I  have  seen  there  is  much 
to  encourage  its  cultivation.    It  is  now  receiving  increased  attention. 


41 

Believing,  however,  that  it  will  be  a  remunerative  crop,  I  supplied  ray 
son,  who  has  settled  near  Piedmont,  in  Fauquier  County,  with  trees 
for  an  orchard,  and  so  far  they  have  given  auspicious  promises. 

4.  Cherry. 

The  last,  though  not  the  least,  yet  the  most  neglected  of  all  of  our 
orchard  fruits,  is  the  cherry.  Not  more  than  three  or  four  good  va- 
rieties have  ever  found  their  way  into  the  Washington  market,  and 
not  even  in  quantities  sufficient  to  remove  an  ancient  superstition 
that  it  is  an  unwholesome  fruit.  This  prejudice  was  strengthened  by 
the  fact  that  the  illness  which  brought  on  the  death  of  President  Tay- 
lor was  caused  by  his  having  eaten  some  acid  cherries  and  milk  after 
an  exposure  for  some  hours  to  a  hot  fourth  of  July  sun.  A  better 
ray  of  light  is  dispersing  that  darkness,  and  I  find  people  ready  to 
buy,  eat,  and  preserve  my  Knight's  Early  Black,  Black  Tartarian, 
Graffion  and  Downton  Bigarreau,  without  effecting  an  insurance  on 
their  lives.  So  far  as  the  question  of  health  is  concerned,  I  can  say 
from  an  enlarged  experience  for  one-third  of  my  lifetime,  that  good 
ripe  cherries  are  no  more  prejudicial  to  health  than  strawberries,  lus- 
cious ripe  peaches,  or  a  Bartlett  or  a  Seckel  pear,  and  may  be  indulged 
in  with  the  same  impunity. 

Throughout  the  whole  line  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road, 
to  which  these  remarks  are  applicable,  the  cherry  flourishes  in  a  higher 
state  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  United  States  with  which  I  am  ac- 
quainted. From  seeds  of  the  mazzards,  introduced  by  the  early  set- 
tlers, trees  have  sprung  up,  often  by  the  roadsides,  which  attain  great 
age,  and  are  so  frequently  interspersed  among  the  indigenous  growth 
that  a  person  not  acquainted  with  its  history  would  never  suspect  it 
to  be  a  wanderer  from  Asia.  There  can  be  no  better  proof  of  its 
adaptability  to  this  section  than  the  facts  stated.  I  find  these  wild- 
ings to  make  excellent  stocks  for  the  better  varieties.  Thus  propa- 
gated, the  grafts  grow  freely  and  begin  f*o  bear  fruit.  This  tree  is 
often  found  growing  among  the  young  pines  of  the  "  abandoned 
lands,"  and  really,  from  every  indication,  appears  to  prefer  soils  re- 
duced by  cultivation  to  fresh  lands,  provided  that  the  location  is  on 
high,  warm  soils. 

From  my  sales  last  season,  though  I  did  not  send  any  to  the  Wash- 
ington market,  I  feel  warranted  in  recommending  the  extensive  culti- 
vation of  this  fruit.  Even  in  the  small  villages  of  Vienna  and  Fair- 
fax Court  House,  the  demand  at  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  quart 
was  more  than  the  supply.  It  was  not  convenient  to  send  them  to 
Washington,  where  double  that  price  would  have  been  given.  The 


42 


new  process  of"  canning"  has  brought  the  cherry  into  great  request; 
and,  thus  preserved,  it  is  not  only  one  of  the  most  beautiful  but  one  of 
the  most  delicious  fruits  for  desserts.  The  facility  of  raising  it,  and 
certainty  of  the  crops,  will  soon  make  its  extensive  multiplication  one 
of  the  prominent  features  in  Fairfax  fruit  culture.  It  will  hold  its 
superiority,  for  neither  north  nor  south  of  this  county  can  it  be  grown 
with  equal  success.  Planters  should  not  look  to  home  market  alone. 
We  can,  while  the  season  lasts  with  us,  take  the  lead  in  this  fruit  .in 
the  markets  of  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  and  probably  Boston. 

With  the  cheap  and  safe  fruit  crate,  a  recent  invention  of  Mr.  E.  B. 
Georgia,  of  Clifton  in^this  county,  which  crate  I  have  used  with  en- 
tire satisfaction,  cherries  can  be  sent  by  express  from  Alexandria  to 
New  York  in  less  than  ten  hours,  arriving  there  as  fresh  and  as  sound 
as  when  gathered  from  the  tree. 

5.  The  Grape. 

This  fruit,  which  of  late  years  has  attracted  so  much  attention 
throughout  the  country,  has  not  been  neglected  in  this  part  of  the 
State.  It  is  now  extensively  grown  for  the  Washington  market.  Be- 
fore the  late  internecine  disturbances  a  few  vineyards  had  been  com- 
menced, and  had  begun  to  justify  the  reasonable  expectations  of  the 
proprietors.  Since  the  restoration  of  peace  it  was  one  of  the  branches 
of  industry  to  which  early  attention  was  given,  and  numerous  vine- 
yards have  been  planted  in  the  counties  of  Fairfax,  Prince  William, 
Loudoun,  and  Fauquier,  while  the  extensive  vineyards  of  M.  B.  Buck, 
Esq.,  in  Warren  County,  in  operation  before  the  war,  may  be  regarded 
as  settling  the  question  affirmatively  that  Virginia  possesses  unri- 
valled claims  to  pre-eminence.  Even  in  this  northern  part  we  have 
all  the  climatic  requirements  of  a  wine-producing  country.  Nature 
has  declared  her  purpose,  but  we  have  been  slow  in  comprehending 
her  lessons.  On  our  low  and  moist  lands,  under  the  shade  of  forest 
trees,  the  Fox  grape  (vitis  labrasca)  flourishes  with  great  vigor  and 
productiveness.  This  is  the  parent  of  the  Catawba,  Isabella,  Hartford 
Prolific,  and  the  Concord,  the  most  esteemed  native  sorts  for  table 
use.  On  the  gentle  rising  grounds  and  stony  knolls,  with  a  full  expo- 
sure to  the  sun,  the  summer  grape  (vitis  estivalis)  forms  thickets,  over- 
powering the  undergrowth  and  giving  most  profuse  crops  of  fruit. 
This  species  runs  into  innumerable  sorts  or  subvarieties,  of  which 
the  Clinton,  Norton's  Virginia,  Herbemont,  Alvey,  Lenoir,  and  Deve- 
reux  are  the  most  celebrated.  These  are  excellent  table  varieties, 
and  from  them,  doubtless,  the  future  wine  grapes  for  the  sections  of 
country  in  which  the  Scuppernong  will  not  succeed,  are  to  be  derived. 


43 


When  the  experiments  of  raising  seedlings  from  these  cultivated  w  ild 
varieties  shall  have  progressed  as  far  as  those  which  produced  the 
Concord  from  a  wild  type,  we  may  hope  for  as  favorable  results.  In 
that  case  we  can  but  have  grapes  that  will  form  wines  adapted  to 
popular  use. 

My  experience  with  the  vine  has  been  more  that  of  a  collector 
and  experimenter  with  wild  varieties  than  anything  else.  In  1857, 
under  an  engagement  with  the  agricultural  branch  of  the  Patent 
Office,  I  visited  the  mountains  in  the  State  of  Arkansas  and  the 
northern  portion  of  Texas,  to  collect  the  native  grapes  which  early 
explorers  of  those  regions  had  so  often  eulogized  in  glowing  terms. 
I  returned,  and  the  collection  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  propa- 
gators. At  the  close  of  the  year,  when  I  was  absent  on  another  mis- 
sion to  Chihuahua,  for  the  wine  grape  cultivated  at  El  Paso,  the 
original  intention  of  the  Department  was  changed  from  that  of  test- 
ing the  merits  of  the  grapes  thus  collected  by  the  Department  to 
that  of  scattering  them  broadcast  over  the  country,  where  they  came 
to  nothing.  A  few  in  my  private  collection,  however,  escaped  de- 
struction during  the  war,  and,  after  the  few  tests  to  which  they 
have  been  subjected,  I  can  truly  say  of  them,  in  the  language  of 
Mr.  George  Hupman,  the  great  Missouri  vigneron:  "They  are  dan- 
gerous rivals  to  the  Norton's  Virginia,"  which  he  considers  a  wine 
grape  of  highest  merit.  Of  late  years  I  have  paid  considerable 
attention  to  our  home  wild  varieties,  and  have  in  my  small  collection 
h}Tbrids  between  the  Fox  and  summer  varieties,  as  well  as  some 
summer  sorts  of  which  I  entertain  sanguine  hopes.  These  facts 
should  encourage  us  to  give  increased  attention  to  vine  culture. 
Virginia  for  this  purpose  furnishes,  equal  to  any  place  I  have  ex- 
plored, all  the  requirements  of  the  vine,  which  appear  to  be  a  deep 
sandy  soil,  rich  in  potash,  with  a  full  sunn3'  exposure.  Such  situa- 
tions are  found  everywhere  from  tide  water  to  the  summit  of  the 
Blue  Ridge.  Our  summer  varieties  are  so  little  subject  to  blighting 
diseases,  and  are  found  to  vary  the  quantity  of  their  fruits  with  the 
season  in  so  slight  a  degree,  that  the  cultivator  may  rely  with  cer- 
tainty upon  the  fruition  of  his  hopes.  Late  spring  frosts  never  do 
any  injury  to  the  vine,  and  our  seasons  are  long  enough  to  permit 
the  thorough  ripening  of  fruit  and  wood. 

I  do  not  feel  myself  called  on  to  prove  by  statistics  that  vine  cul- 
ture has  been  remunerative  to  the  proprietors  of  vinejrards.  Success 
in  this,  as  well  as  in  all  other  things,  depends  upon  attention,  industry, 
and  good  management.  Yet,  so  far  as  my  knowledge  extends,  no  one 
is  retiring  in  disgust,  while  every  season  of  planting  brings  out  hosts 


44 


.  of  new  beginners.  Information  in  vine  culture  is  more  sought  from 
me  than  is  asked  in  any  other  department  of  fruit  culture. 

Whether  we  shall  ever  succeed  in  making  delicate,  high-priced 
wines,  is  a  problem,  in  my  opinion,  to  be  solved  by  chemistry.  Our 
hopes  for  this  end  are  very  encouraging.  We,  already,  by  the,  sim- 
plest process  form  a  cheap  and  wholesome  beverage,  which  the  more 
it  is  used  will  be  the  more  popular.  In  social  customs  sudden  revolu- 
tions are  not  to  be  expected,  and  it  may  be  years  before  native  wines 
will  take  the  place  of  alcoholic  drinks;  but  no  revolution  ever  will 
take  place  unless  a  beginning  is  made. 

To  lessen  the  evils  of  intemperance,  which  can  only  be  done  by 
the  substitution  of  the  non-intoxicating  mild  beverages  for  those  now 
in  use,  is  worthy  of  the  highest  aim  of  the  philanthropist.  While 
prosecuting  this  noble  purpose,  the  vineyardist  may  felicitate  himself 
that  in  augmenting  his  earthly  stores  he  is  conferring  benefits  on 
mankind.  Vine  culture  will  do  this,  and  a  mild  climate,  genial  soil, 
a  healthful  and  plentiful  country  invite  laborers. 

Appendix  A. 

Exhibitors  of  Fruits  Cultivated  in  the  State  of  Virginia  at  the  Biennial 
Meeting  of  the  American  Pomological  Society  at  Richmond,  Va.,  Sept.  1th, 
1871. 

Franklin  Davis  &  Co.,  Richmond,  Ya.  193  varieties  apples ;  31  varieties  pears  ; 
2  varieties  peaches. 

H.  R.  Robey,  Fredericksburg,  Ya.    6  varieties  grapes ;  23  apples ;  22  pears. 
Wm.  0.  Hurt,  Bedford  Co.,  Ya.    51  varieties  apples. 

H.  C.  Williams,  Fairfax  Co.,  Ya.  37  varieties  apples;  11  pears;  12  cultivated 
grapes  ;  6  varieties  native  grapes. 

Henry  B.  Jones,  Brownsburg,  Rockbridge  Co.,  Ya.  110  varieties  of  apples ; 
10  varieties  pears  ;  10  peackes. 

G.  F.  B.  Leighton,  Norfolk,  Ya.  8  varieties  pears,  including  magnificent  speci- 
mens of  the  Duchess  d'Angouleme,  some  of  which  weighed  30^-  ounces  ;  also 
Seckels  very  large. 

Tyree  Dollins,  Albemarle  Co.,  Ya.    135  varieties  apples. 

George  W.  Purvis,  Nelson  Co.,  Ya.  5  varieties  seedling  peaches;  1  of  apples  ; 
1  plate  of  Catawba  grapes. 

C.  Gillingham,  Fairfax  Co.,  Ya.    18  varieties  apples,  and  21  varieties  pears. 
J.  W.  Porter,  Albemarle  Co.,  Ya.    4  varieties  of  grapes  ;  11  of  apples. 
Potomac  Fruit-Growers'  Association,  Washington,  D.  C.    18  varieties  of 

apples  ;  54  of  pears  ;  3  of  grapes,  and  1  of  figs. 

D.  0.  Munson,  Fairfax  Co.,  Ya.    A  fine  collection  of  apples  and  pears. 


45 


Appendix  B. 

Fruits  exhibited  by  the  Potomac  Fruit-Growers'  Association  in  Washington, 
D.G.,  September  3,  1872.    First  Annual  Exhibition. 
This  was  a  magnificent  display  of  fruits  cultivated  in  the  vicinity  of  Washing- 
ton City.    For  brevity  the  names  of  the  fruits  are  omitted.    Suffice  it  to  say  that 

the  list  contained  everything  to  satisfy  the  most  fastidious  taste,  and  salable  as 

market  fruits.    The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  official  report  :— 

William  Saunders,  Superintendent  of  the  Experimental  Garden  of  the  Agricul- 
tural Department.    50  varieties  of  pears;  40  varieties  of  grapes — the  merits 
•  of  which  have  been  fully  established. 

John  Saul,  Washington.    38  varieties  pears  ;  15  grapes,  fully  tested. 

H.  C.  Williams,  Fairfax  Co.,  Ya.  36  varieties  apples  ;  12  varieties  pears  ;  5 
peaches  ;  12  varieties  cultivated  grapes ;  6  indigenous  varieties  ;  1  quince  ; 
1  almond,  approved  for  30  years  in  the  Washington  market. 

S.  H.  Snowden,  Fairfax  Co.,  Ya,    27  varieties  apples ;  7  varieties  peaches. 

Judge  J.  H.  Gray,  Fairfax  Co.,  Va.  1  quince ;  3  varieties  grapes ;  1  variety 
apple,  and  3  varieties  of  peaches. 

R.  A.  Phillips,  North  Arlington,  Ya.  A  luscious  and  abundant  collection  of 
Concord  grapes. 

H.  Amidon,  Washington,  D.  C.    Devereux  and  lona  grapes. 

Dr.  R  P.  Darby,  Uniontown,  D.  C.  Portugal  quince,  apples,  pears,  peaches, 
and  grapes,  very' fine. 

Captain  H.  D.  Smith,  Arlington,  Ya.    Fine  peaches  and  grapes. 

John  T.  Bramhall,  Fall's  Church,  Ya.    6  varieties  grapes. 

Chalkley  Gillingham,  Accotink,  Fairfax  Co.,  Ya.  26  varieties  apples  ;  7  varie- 
ties peaches  ;  15  varieties  pears — popular,  approved  varieties. 

D.  0.  Munson,  Fall's  Church,  Fairfax  Co.,  Ya.  11  varieties  peaches  ;  2  varie- 
ties apples. 

J.  B.  Clagett,  Silver  Spring,  Md.  A  splendid  collection  of  grapes  ;  14  varieties 
of  pears. 

Col.  S.  E.  Chamberlain,  Waterford,  Loudoun  Co.,  Ya.  11  varieties  apples ;  4 
varieties  peaches. 

Appendix  C. 
Wine  Grapes  for  North  Carolina  and  Virginia. 

Saunders,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  named  Lenoir  and  Devereux  as  desirable 
wine  grapes  for  the  mountain  region  of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia.  All  Ameri- 
can wines  have  been  made  from  the  Fox  family  of  grapes,  which  are  not  adapted 
to  wine  making.  The  vitis  estivalis  possess  the  true  characteristics  of  wine  mak- 
ing— the  grapes  named  belong  to  this  species — both  with  regard  to  sugar  and 
bouquet.  The  reason  why  they  have  not  been  grown  is  because  they  do  not  ripen 
north.    But  they  can  be  grown  on  the  Yirginia  and  North  Carolina  hills,  and 


46 

should  be  for  wine.  It  has  long  been  supposed  that  we  have  not  the  European 
oidium  here  ;  but  we  have  it,  though  comparatively  innocuous.  Our  mildew 
is  unlike  it,  being  caused  by  excess  of  moisture,  while  the  European  mildew 
(oidium)  is  caused  by  want  of  moisture.* 

LOUDOUN  COUNTY,  VA, 

Was  formed  in  1757  from  Fairfax,  and  named  in  honor  of  the  Earl  of 
Loudoun,  commander  of  the  military  affairs  in  America  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  French  and  Indian  war. 

Among  its  records  are  ancient  deeds  and  curious  wills,  and  the 
minutes  of  the  county  courts  held  in  the  "reign  of  George  the  Second, 
by  the  grace  of  God  King  of  Great  Britain,"  etc.,  and  the  name  and 
signature  of  James  Monroe,  late  President  of  the  United  States,  often 
appear  appended  to  his  official  acts  as  a  magistrate  of  the  county. 

Loudoun  is  one  of  the  counties  embraced  in  the  class  known  as  the 
Piedmont  counties,  lying  between  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains  and  the 
"  tide-water  counties"  of  Virginia. 

It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Potomac  River,  east  by  Fairfax 
County,  south  by  Prince  William  and  Fauquier  Counties,  and  west  by 
Clarke  Count}",  Virginia,  and  Jefferson  County,  W6st  Virginia.' 

Its  western  limit  extends  along  the  top  of  the  Blue  Ridge  from 
Ashby's  Gap  to  the  Potomac  opposite  Harper's  Ferry,  and  the  Poto- 
mac washes  its  entire  northern  bounds  for  forty  miles. 

Its  area  is  525  square  miles.  Its  population  20,724,  of  which  5691 
are  colored,  and  chiefly  employed  as  laborers.  Its  mountains  are  the 
Blue  Ridge  and  its  spurs  for  twenty-three  miles  on  the  west.  The 
€atoctin  Mountain,  a  low  range  parallel  to  and  sixteen  miles  east 
of  "  the  Ridge,"  and  a  low  range  called  "  the  Short  Hill"  also  parallel 
to  and  two  miles  east  of  u  the  Ridge"  rising  suddenly  near  Hillsboro' 
and  running  north  nine  miles  to  the  Potomac,  on  the  other  side  of 
which  river  it  crosses  Maryland  and  goes  into  Pennsylvania,  where  it 
rises  into  the  "  Kittany  Mountains." 

Between  the  Blue  Ridge  and  the  Catoctin  is  the  far  famed  "  Lou- 
doun Valle}"." 

The  surface  of  the  entire  county  is  rolling,  well  drained,  and  without 
any  swamps  or  miasmatic  marshes,  but  stands  drought  well,  as  has 
been  proved  by  the  last  three  3Tears. 

The  water  courses  are  the  Potomac  and  its  tributaries.  Goose 
Creek,  Beaver  Dam,  the  Catoctin  and  its  forks,  Little  River,  Tusca- 

*  Proceedings  of  the  Thirteenth  Session  of  the  American  Pomological  Society, 
held  in  Richmond,  Va.,  Sept.  C,  7,  and  8,  1871,  page  G8. 


47 

rora,  Sycolin,  Broad  Run,  Sugar  Land,  Horse  Pen,  etc.,  all  bold 
streams,  pervading  the  whole  county. 

Besides  these  mainstreams  there  are  few  if  any  farms  in  every  field 
of  which  there  is  not  a  spring  or  running  water  of  pure  and  wholesome 
quality. 

The  soil  of  course  varies,  but  blue  grass  is  indigenous  to  the  whole 
county,  while  timoth}',  clover,  and  other  grasses  are  raised  in  luxuri- 
ance. All  the  cereals  are  produced  in  abundance,  but  corn  is  the 
largest  and  best  paying  crop. 

Being  eminently  a  grass  country,  grazing  was,  before  the  war,  one 
of  the  largest  and  most  profitable  interests,  and  is  now  being  revived 
more  and  more  yearly,  with  the  advantage  of  being  little  over  a 
day's  drive,  or  a  few  hours'  run  by  rail,  to  the  Alexandria,  George- 
town, or  Washington  Markets,  with  easy,  certain,  and  quick  access  to 
Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  or  New  York. 

The  Dairy  is  becoming  an  important  interest,  from  the  adaptation 
of  the  rich  pasturage  and  springs  to  it,  and  the  facility  of  shipping  the 
milk  and  butter  to  market,  while  the  "  Old  Dominion"  cheese  factory, 
at  Hamilton,  is  turning  out,  yearly,  a  large  stock  of  its  manufacture, 
which  is  becoming  one  of  the  favorite  cheeses  in  the  markets. 

Fruits  of  all  kinds  have  long  been  cultivated  for  domestic  use,  and 
the  product  of  the  plum,  cherry,  peach,  and  apple  trees  of  Loudoun 
have  elicited  and  deserved  the  praise  of  all  who  have  visited  the 
county.  All  kinds  of  fruit  are  produced  in  great  perfection  ;  increas- 
ing attention  is  being  paid  to  this  culture.  The  grape  grows  here  as 
naturally  as  in  the  Rhine  valley.  The  slopes  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  of 
the  Catoctin,  and  of"  the  Hills"  are  specially  adapted  for  vineyards. 
The  grape,  as  fruit,  or  in  wine  or  brandy,  is  an  interest  of  increasing 
value. 

Sheep  thrive  well  and  pay  well  here,  and  there  are  a  number  of  the 
best  stocks;  the  Blue  Ridge  mutton  cannot  be  surpassed  in  England. 

The  Temperature  being  even,  rarely  hotter  than  85°  or  colder  than 
8°  Fahrenheit,  and  very  seldom  reaching  either  of  these  extremes,  the 
summers  are  not  oppressive,  and  the  winters  are  open.  Cattle  graze 
until  Christmas,  and  much  plowing  is  done  in  January. 

About  one-third  of  the  county  is  in  timber.  Limestone  underlies  the 
greater  part  of  it,  and  lime  for  fertilizing  is  easily  accessible  to  every 
farmer,  and  acts  most  happily  on  the  soil  in  conjunction  with  clover 
and  plaster. 

Iron,  copper,  and  barytes  have  been  found  and  mined.  The  Poto- 
mac Furnace,  opposite  the  Point  of  Rocks,  was  started  half  a  century 


48 


ago,  and  has  been  supplied  with  ore  from  the  adjacent  lands.  The 
iron  interest  offers  a  large  field  for  profitable  investment. 

On  the  western  slope  of  the  Catoctin  Mountain  is  a  deposit  of  white 
marble,  extending  north  and  south  for  over  ten  miles,  with  a  breadth 
in  some  places  of  2000  feet,  cropping  out  at  many  points,  and  hundreds 
of  feet  in  depth.  The  Virginia  Marble  Company  is  engaged  in  open- 
ing and  developing  a  quarry;  the  lessee  has  expended  $50,000  in  the 
enterprise.  The  marble  is  white  and  fine,  equal  to  the  Termont 
marble,  while  in  places  there  is  a  solid  vein  of  flesh  colored.  This  is 
a  very  important  interest. 

There  are  various  mineral  springs  in  Loudoun ;  one  near  Purcellville, 
known  as  Silcott's  Spring,  is  a  place  of  large  resort  with  benefit  to 
invalids;  a  fine  chalybeate  spring  near  Middleburg;  a  strong  sulphur 
spring  near  Farmwell  Station;  a  chalybeate  at  Leesburg;  one  near 
Hamilton,  and  at  other  points. 

The  people  of  the  county  are  plain,  steady,  intelligent,  independent, 
and  kind;  of  German,  Irish,  Quaker,  Scottish,  and  English  stocks. 

There  is  little  poverty,  and  but  few  instances  of  great  wealth, 
yet  if  a  stranger  were  to  judge  of  the  condition  of  the  people  from 
the  number  of  handsome  and  fashionably  dressed  ladies,  and  the  fine 
display  of  horses  and  carriages  to  be  seen  at  the  annual  county  "Fair 
and  Cattle  Show"  held  at  Leesburg,  he  would  say  "Loudoun  is 
certain  Jy  prosperous." 

Notwithstanding  the  numerous  other  means  of  transportation 
possessed  by  this  county,  there  were  shipped  to  Loudoun  over  the 
Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  alone,  in  1871,  35  handsome  carriages 
and  14  pianos;  and  in  1872,  27  carriages  and  10  pianos. 

Nearly  all,  male  and  female,  give  their  personal  attention  to,  or 
take  part  in,  the  work  of  the  farm  or  house,  and  the  exhibition  of  the 
results  of  domestic  industry  at  the  annual  fair  is  one  of  the  most 
attractive  features. 

White  laborers  readily  meet  with  employment,  and  are  treated  with 
respect  if  deserving. 

Nearly  every  farm  is  owned  by  its  occupant. 

The  chief  architectural  ornaments  of  the  county  are  "  Oak  Hill," 
built  by  James  Monroe,  late  President  of  the  United  States,  now 
owned  by  Doctor  Quinby,  late  of  the  city  of  New  York  ;  "  Oatlands, 
the  residence  of  George  Carter;  "  Belmont,"  built  by  the  late  Ludwell 
Lee  (where  Gen.  LaFayette  made  his  home  during  his  visit  to  Loudoun 
in  1825),  now  owned  by  Hon.  F.  P.  Stanton,  of  Washington;  and  a 
dwelling  just  completed,  near  Leesburg,  b}T  C.  R.  Paxton,  Esq.,  of 


49 


Bloomsburg,  Pennsylvania,  at  a  cost  of  $100,000,  probably  the  most 
complete,  convenient,  and  substantial  dwelling  in  the  State. 

Generally,  the  houses  in  the  county  are  unostentatious  buildings 
of  frame,  brick,  or  stone,  planned  for  use  and  durability  rather  than 
show,  but,  with  their  plentiful  gardens,  spring  houses,  cool  shades, 
and  rich  fields,  they  present  as  perfect  a  picture  of  home  comfort  and 
independence  as  can  be  found  in  airy  land. 

There  are  numerous  churches  of  various  denominations.  There  are 
55  free  schools,  in  which  are  taught  3210  scholars,  of  which  652  are 
colored.  These  have  60  teachers  (8  colored),  and  are  supported  by 
the  State  and  county.  Besides  these  there  are  numerous  private 
academies  and  schools  in  the  county. 

The  streams  supply  about  80  flouring  and  grist  mills,  and  the 
water  power  on  the  river  and  its  tributaries  is  ample  for  every  kind 
of  manufacture.  The  "Big  Spring,"  near  Leesburg,  supplied  a  flour- 
ing mill  on  the  Potomac  (burned  during  the  war),  which  turned  out 
claity  SO  to  100  barrels  and  employed  but  little  of  the  powrer.  There 
are  2  woollen  factories,  but  all  kinds  of  factories  are  needed,  and  none 
would  be  more  successful  than  a  straw  paper  mill,  and  a  wholesale 
shoe  factory,  as  there  are  many  tanneries  in  the  county  which  send 
their  products  to  Baltimore. 

The  average  annual  value  of  the  marketable  products  of  Loudoun 
are  about  $1,500,000  to  $1,750,000  which  could  be  increased  50  per 
cent,  or  more  by  concentrating  care  and  culture  on  smaller  tracts,  and 
by  studying  the  peculiar  needs  of  the  lands,  making  each  field  a 
speciality. 

The  accessibility  to  market  is  a  great  advantage  to  this  count}7. 

In  price  the  lands  vary  according  to  location  and  improvements, 
from  $5  to  $100  per  acre  ;  the  average  is  about  $25.  There  are  man}- 
"  new  comers"  from  the  Northern  States,  from  England  and  Scotland, 
and  all  are  eagerly  welcomed. 

The  county  roads  are  good,  and,  annually,  an  average  sum  of 
$12,000  is  expended  on  them.  There  are  turnpikes  crossing  the  county 
from  east  to  west  from  Washington,  Georgetown,  and  Alexandria,  to 
Winchester  via  Aldie  ;  Middleburg,  Ashby's  Gap,  and  via  Leesburg 
and  Snickersville;  a  turnpike,  north  and  south,  from  Aldie  to  Leesburg; 
another  from  Waterford  to  Point  of  Rocks  on  the  Potomac ;  another 
from  Purcellville,  on  the  Winchester  and  Leesburg  Pike,  to  the 
Potomac  opposite  Berlin,  and  another  from  Hillsboro  to  Harper's 
Ferry. 

The  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal  extends  on  the  Maryland  side  the 
whole  length  of  the  north  side  of  Loudoun,  with  one  lift  lock  opposite 


50 


Leesbnrg,  and  another  opposite  the  southeast  corner  of  the  county, 
giving  access  to  boats  loaded  on  the  Virginia  shore,  and  thus  furnish- 
ing the  county  with  Cumberland  coal,  lumber,  etc.,  and  shipping  wheat 
and  other  grains  to  the  Georgetown  and  Alexandria  markets.  The 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  skirts  the  county  for  12  miles  from 
Harper's  Ferry  to  the  Point  of  Rocks,  which  place  is  12  miles  from 
Leesburg  and  69  miles  from  Baltimore.  The  Metropolitan  Rail  Road 
runs  from  Point  of  Rocks  to  Washington  City  on  the  Mainland  side. 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  crosses  the  county  from  near 
Guilford  on  the  east  to  Snickersville  on  the  west.  It  is  completed 
and  running  to  Hamilton,  seven  miles  west  of  Leesburg,  and  fort}'- 
four  miles  from  Alexandria.  In  a  short  time  the  road  will  be  running 
to  Purcellville,  three  miles  further  west.  So  soon  as  the  Washington 
and  Ohio  Rail  Road  is  completed  to  the  Yalley  at  Winchester,  to  the 
coal-fields  of  Hampshire  and  Hardy  Counties,  the  timber  lands  of 
West  Virginia,  and  to  the  Ohio  River,  it  will  place  Loudoun  on  the 
great  artery  of  the  Union  east  and  west. 

Its  resources  on  the  surface  and  under  the  surface,  as  yet  hardly 
conceived  of  or  touched,  will  be  developed.  Its  inexhaustible  wealth, 
and  its  facilities  for  transportation,  will  attract  intelligent  immigra- 
tion and  capital,  which  its  people  are  longing  to  welcome. 

The  easy,  short,  and  frequent  railroad  connections  make  this  county 
a  suburb  of  Alexandria,  Washington,  and  Baltimore,  and  put  it  within 
a  few  hours  of  Philadelphia  and  New  York. 

Numbers  of  the  citizens  of  the  District  of  Columbia  are  seeking 
permanent  homes  here,  while  many  more  find  health  and  renewed  life 
in  its  cool  and  quiet  retreats  in  summer.  Among  the  most  promi- 
nent enterprises  are  the  erection  of  summer  resorts  on  the  Blue  Ridge 
and  in  the  beautiful  region  of  its  base. 

Taking  into  consideration  the  climate,  temperature,  health,  scenery, 
water,  soil,  population,  and  resources  of  Loudoun,  with  its  close  and 
certain  connection  with  all  the  markets  and  cities  of  the  seaboard, 
there- is  no  region  where  the  average  of  human  comfort  is  higher  than 
in  it.  Other  regions  may  excel  it  in  some  one  particular,  but  none 
combine  more  of  all  the  elements  of  peace,  plenty,  happiness,  and 
independence,  than  Loudoun. 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  has  five  stations  in  Loudoun 
County,  viz.,  Guilford,  Farmwrell,  Leesburg,  Clark's  Gap,  and  Hamil- 
ton ;  to  these  will  shortly  be  added  three  others — Round  Hill,  Pur- 
cellville, and  Snickersville. 

Guilford  Station  is  twenty-seven  miles  from  Alexandria,  in  the 


51 


centre  of  a  thrifty  and  stirring  community.  The  States  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  California  are  represented  at  and 
in  its  immediate  vicinity  by  substantial  citizens,  who,  having  pur- 
chased farms,  have  united  with  their  Virginia  neighbors  in  develop- 
ing the  resources  of  this  portion  of  Loudoun  County.  Old  England 
and  South  America  have  also  contributed  to  the  population  by  the 
immigration  of  farmers  of  means  and  ability.  The  villages  of  Gum 
Spring,  Areola,  and  Daysville  receive  their  supplies  and  ship  their 
productions  at  Guilford  Station. 

Farmwell  Station  is  thirty-one  miles  from  Alexandria.  The 
neighborhood  of  which  Farmwell  is  the  depot  has  experienced  the 
good  results  arising  from  a  health}7  immigration,  and,  like  Guilford, 
is  greatly  improved  in  its  increased  productions  and  in  the  character 
and  intelligence  of  the  people.  This  depot  receives  the  supplies  and 
ships  the  products  of  the  villages  of  Belmont,  Frankville,  and  Brook- 
land.  On  the  lands  of  the  late  Doctor  Lee,  near  this  station,  there 
is  a  strong  sulphur  spring. 

Leesburg  is  the  county  seat  of  .Loudoun  and  a  station  on  the 
Washington  and  Ohio  Bail  Boad.  It  lies  at  the  eastern  base  of  the 
Catoctin  Mountains,  one  and  a  half  miles  from  the  Potomac  Biver, 
at  Ball's  Bluff,  and  thirty-seven  and  a  half  miles  from  Alexandria, 
Georgetown,  and  Washington.  It  was  established  in  1758,  and  has 
a  population  of  1800.  Its  streets  are  at  right  angles,  well  paved 
and  lighted.  An  ample  and  permanent  supply  of  pure  water  is  car- 
ried by  pipes  throughout  the  town.  Two  newspapers  are  published 
here.  Its  buildings  are  of  stone,  brick,  and  frame,  substantial  and 
comfortable.  The  assessed  value  of  the  real  estate  in  the  town  is 
$444,290 ;  it  has  a  telegraph  line  to  Alexandria,  along  the  line  of  the 
Washington  and  Ohio  Bail  Boad.  There  are  six  churches,  of  various 
denominations,  including  two  colored  ;  the  other  public  buildings 
are  the  Depot  of  the  W ashington  and  Ohio  Bail  Boad,  the  Bank, 
Academy,  Court  House,  Jail,  Circuit  and  County  Court  Clerk's 
Offices,  two  free  schools,  one  for  white  and  one  for  colored  children, 
two  female  academies,  two  hotels,  and  numerous  stores,  restaurants, 
and  boarding-houses  ;  the  stores  keep  a  complete  stock  of  all  articles, 
as  various,  tasteful,  and  cheap  as  can  be  had  in  a  city.  There  is  a 
large  foundry  and  steam  saw-mill,  planing-mill,  and  agricultural 
machine  factory. 

The  Loudoun  Agricultural  Society  hold  a  fair  and  cattle  show 
annually  at  Leesburg,  which  is  numerously  attended  and  well  sup- 
ported. 


52 


Leesburg  is  one  of  the  most  healthful  places  in  the  Union-.  Its 
people  are  well  educated,  hospitable,  and  social. 

A  daily  line  of  stages  connect  with  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road,  at  Leesburg,  for  Aldie  and  Middleburg. 

Clark's  Gap,  four  miles  west  of  Leesburg,  is  a  very  important 
station.  It  drains  a  splendid  country  for  many  miles;  is  three  and  a 
half  miles  south  of  Waterford,  a  very  thriving  Quaker  settlement, 
having  a  population  of  419.  There  is  a  fine  road  from  "Waterford  to 
the  depot  at  the  Gap.  Waterford  is  in  Jefferson  Township,  which 
contains  3355  inhabitants,  and  has  two  fine  merchant  mills,  which  do 
a  large  business. 

Hamilton  Station,  forty-four  miles  from  Alexandria  and  six  and 
a  half  miles  west  of  Leesburg,  is  the  present  western  terminus  of 
the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  an  important  station,  with  a 
constantly  growing  trade ;  is  situated  in  a  rich  and  populous 
country,  an  intelligent  and  wealthy  community,  with  fine  and  pro- 
ductive farms.  This  station  is  the  business  centre  for  the  neigh- 
boring villages  of  Hillsboro,  Purcellville,  Wheatland,  Union,  Mounts- 
ville,  Philomont,  Pot  House  (New  Lisbon),  Snickersville,  Lincoln, 
Hughesville,  Bloomfield,  and  Circleville,  to  which  is  added  the  large 
business  of  eight  fine  merchant  mills. 

The  Old  Dominion  Cheese  Factory  at  Hamilton,  a  new  enterprise, 
is  in  successful  operation,  and  in  1812,  the  second  tyear  of  its  exist- 
ence, manufactured  2100  boxes.  The  home  demand  alone  is  greater 
than  could  be  supplied  by  half  a  dozen  establishments  of  similar 
extent. 

The  Loudoun  Enterprise^  well-conducted  newspaper,  is  published 
at  Hamilton. 

Frequent  public  sales  of  cattle  are  held  at  Hamilton  ;  and  the 
well-known  character  of  the  stock  raised  in  Loudoun  attracts  the 
lovers  of  fine  stock,  not  onl}r  from  the  adjoining  counties,  but  from 
the  cities  of  Washington  and  Baltimore. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Hamilton  Depot  there  is  a  mineral  spring  ;  the 
water  possesses  cathartic  and  alterative  virtues,  and  is  doubtless  as 
good  as  many  other  well  known  mineral  waters. 

Western-bound  passengers  take  Kemp's  line  of  stages  at  Hamilton 
for  Purcellville  and  Snickersville  in  Loudoun,  Beriyville  in  Clarke, 
and  Winchester  in  Frederick  counties. 


53 


FRUIT  CULTURE  AND  DAIRY  FARMING. 

Attention  is  invited  to  the  following  paper,  contributed  by  Col. 
S.  E.  Chamberlin,  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C. 

Col.  Chamberlin,  late  of  the  United  States  Army,  came  to  Virginia  a 
lew  years  ago  from  the  State  of  New  York,  and  is  extensively  engaged 
in  these  branches  of  trade  at  Waterford,  in  the  county  of  Loudoun. 


The  region  known  as  the  "Piedmont  Region,"  extending  from  the 
head  of  tide  to  the  "Blue  Ridge,"  deriving  its  name  from  the  "foot 
of  the  mountain,"  has  peculiar  and  special  adaptation  to  the  suc- 
cessful cultivation  of  the  fruit-tree. 

Loudoun  County  forms  a  conspicuous  part  of  this  region,  the  soil 
possessing  the  happy  combination  formed  from  greenstone,  quartz, 
gneiss,  and  clay-slate,  constituting  that  rich,  durable  soil,  for  healthy 
growth  and  long  life  to  the  tree,  so  desirable ;  the  climate  being 
especially  favorable,  with  spring  not  so  early  as  to  force  premature 
budding,  to  be  injured  by  following  frosts,  and  with  fall  sufficiently 
late  to  permit  the  apple,  pear,  and  peach  to  ripen  in  perfection,  with 
size,  form,  and  flavor  unequalled  in  any  part  of  the  world.  The 
attention  of  some  of  our  most  eminent  pomologists  and  extensive 
fruit-growers  has  been  directed  to  the  superior  advantages  offered 
here  for  growing  fruit,  for  not  only  home,  but  for  foreign  markets. 
The  age  that  the  apple,  peach,  and  pear  trees  attain  is  wonderful. 
They  do  not  come  into  bearing  as  early  as  in  lighter  soils,  but  are  far 
more  productive;  and  many  of  the  diseases  so  fatal  to,  in  particular, 
the  peach  and  pear  in  more  northern  districts,  are  avoided.  The 
"  Yellows,"  that  has  proved  so  destructive  to  the  peach  orchards  of 
New  Jersey,  Delaware,  Maryland,  Pennsylvania,  and  in  our  more 
southern  States,  is  unknown.  Peach  trees  thirty,  forty,  and  fifty 
3rears,  and  many  known  to  be  even  older,  are  found  healthy  and  vigo- 
rous, bearing  fruit  every  year.  At  the  last  session  of  the  American 
Pomological  Society,  held  at  Richmond,  September,  1871,  the  various 
fruits  of  this  locality  were  freely  discussed  and  compared  with  those 
from  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  pronounced  inferior  to  none. 
The  eminent  pomologist,  Charles  Downing,  said  "that  the  'Piedmont 
Region  '  of  Virginia  was  the  best  fruit-growing  county  in  the  world." 
Many  valuable  varieties  of  our  apples,  among  them  the  Abram, 
Baltzby,  Bentley  Sweet,  Bowling's  Sweet,  Holladay,  Limbertwig. 
Magnum,  Ogleby,  Peck's  Pleasant,  Rawle's  Janet  (or  Rock  Ramon), 
Red  Winter  Sweet,  Roberson's  White,  Robey's  Seedling,  and  Fall 
5 


54 


Queen,  have  their  origin  in  this  region.  Many  other  valuable  seed- 
lings, among  them  the  Loudoun  Pippin,  Round  Hill  Pippin,  and 
Whitescarver,  from  this  locality,  are  becoming  familiar  to  pomolo- 
gists,  and  find  high  favor  wherever  known. 

But  little  attention  has  been  given  to  the  cultivation  of  fruit  for 
market,  and  less  to  the  selection  of  such  varieties  as  are  suitable  to 
the  climate ;  although  favored  by  a  most  genial  climate,  and  a  soil 
rich  in  all  the  elements  of  food  for  the  tree,  it  is  necessary  to  select 
such  kinds  as  are  acclimated  ;  and  here  our  great  advantage  lies,  for 
by  careful  and  proper  selection  many  of  the  varieties  most  desirable 
for  market  can  be  grown  to  perfection  defying  competition  elsewhere. 
Downing  says :  "unfavorable  soil  and  climate  are  powerful  agents  in 
deteriorating  varieties  of  fruit  trees."  Many  of  the  orchards  where 
trees  were  selected  without  regard  to  their  adaptation  to  our  climate, 
but  bought  of  northern  nurseiymen  as  the  most  valuable  varieties  of 
the  north,  have  proven  almost  worthless.  Apples  that  mature  at  the 
north  in  the  warm  summer  months  are  improved  when  brought  here  ; 
those  maturing  late  when  removed  south  prove  a  failure,  thus  proving 
that  it  is  impossible  to  pass  certain  natural  limits  of  fitness  for  cli- 
mate. Along  our  highways  the  apple,  peach,  pear,  and  cherry  are 
found  ;  though  neglected  and  permitted  to  grow  undisturbed,  they 
are  found  growing  vigorously  and  bearing  profusely,  many  showing 
great  age,  giving  conclusive  evidence  of  the  particular  adaptation  of 
our  soil  and  climate  to  their  growth.  The  decaying  calcareous  rock, 
with  a  warm  dry  soil  naturally  well  drained,  the  grape  and  all  small 
fruits  find  a  congenial  home.  The  Catawba  ^rape,  so  long  and  favor- 
ably known  throughout  our  whole  country,  was  first  discovered  in 
this  region.  The  blackberry  and  raspberry  are  here  found,  which  for 
size  and  flavor  are  unequalled  by  the  best  cultivated  specimens. 

Loudoun  County,  lying  at  the  door  of  our  Nation's  Capital,  with 
ready  communication  with  the  East,  West,  North,  and  South,  offers 
greater  inducements  to  the  fruit-grower  for  the  successful  and  profit- 
able growing  of  fruit,  than  can  be  found  in  any  other  locality  in  the 
United  States. 

Dairy  farming  in  Loudoun  (5ounty  is  destined  to  become  one  of 
our  leading  industries.  The  natural  advantages  are  such  as  to  offer 
every  inducement  for  such  enterprise.  The  dairy  has  become  an  im- 
portant branch  of  national  industry.  It  is  rapidly  spreading  over 
new  fields.  It  is  engaging  the  attention  of  farmers  in  the  Western. 
Northwestern,  and  Middle  States ;  and  wherever  lands  are  adapted  to 
grazing,  where  there  are  streams  of  living  water,  dairy  farming  is 


55 


taking  the  lead  of  all  other  branches.  In  the  State  of  New  York 
alone  the  dairy  products  are  valued  at  more  than  one  hundred  million 
dollars  annually,  far  exceeding  in  value  the  grain  crop.  The  con- 
sumption of  cheese  in  this  country  is  increasing.  We  are  export- 
ing but  little  more  than  in  1861,  while  the  production  has  increased 
from  103,000,000  to  240,000,000  of  pounds  in  1869.  The  average  in- 
crease of  home  consumption  has  been  at  the  rate  of  13,000,000  of 
pounds  per  year. 

Nature  has  furnished  Loudoun  with  all  the  requisite  elements  for 
success  in  this  calling.  With  our  pure  air,  our  green  hills,  our  never- 
failing  springs  of  sparkling  ice-cold  water,  to  be  found  on  every  farm, 
with  abundance  of  shade  from  the  oak,  hickory,  walnut,  and  maple, 
with  the  sweetest  of  all  grasses,  we  ma}'  challenge  the  world  to  excel 
us  in  the  manufacture  of  rich  sweet  butter  and  cheese.  Among  the 
rich  succulent  grasses  indigenous  to  our  soil  the  blue  grass  (Poa  pra- 
tensis)  takes  the  lead.  An  eminent  agricultural  writer  says  of  this 
grass:  "Whoever  has  blue  grass  has  the  basis  of  all  agricultural 
prosperity;  and  that  man,  if  he  have  not  the  finest  horses,  cattle, 
and  sheep,  has  no  one  to  blame  but  himself.  Others,  in  other  circum- 
stances, may  do  as  well.  He  can  hardly  avoid  doing  well  if  he  will 
try !  White  clover  (Trifolium  repens)  and  Red-top  or  Herdsgrass 
(Agrostis  vulgaris)  are  among  our  native  grasses,  and  Timothy 
(Phleum  pratense),  the  most  valuable  of  all  grasses,  was  introduced 
into  England  from  Virginia  by  Peter  Wynche  about  the  years  IT 60 
or  1761. 

Our  people  have  almost  everything  to  learn  in  the  proper  manner 
of  making  butter  and  preparing  it  for  market.  So  soon  as  this  can 
be  acquired,  and  our  farms  stocked  with  good  cows,  everything  will 
prosper.  One  of  the  best  markets  in  our  country,  Washington,  the 
thirteenth  city  in  size  in  the  United  States  by  the  last  census,  and 
rapidly  growing,  with  an  increasing  demand  for  the  very  best  dairy 
products,  at  fancy  prices,  will  consume  all  we  can  furnish. 

The  manufacture  of  CHEESE  has  commenced  in  our  countv,  and 
an  article  has  been  produced  commanding  an  excellent  price,  pro- 
nounced by  competent  judges  unequalled  in  flavor  by  that  made  any- 
where else.  As  to  the  successful  manufacture  of  cheese  in  Loudoun 
County,  I  submit  the  following  extract  from  the  United  States  Agri- 
cultural Report  for  1871 : — 

"DAIRYING  IN  VIRGINIA. 

"Several  cheese  factories  have  recently  been  erected  in  Virginia, 
and  an  increased  number  may  be  expected  at  an  early  day.  N"o  State 


56 


promises  a  better  profit  for  capital  invested  in  associated  dairying. 
The  Old  Dominion  cheese  factory  at  Hamilton,  Loudoun  County, 
Virginia,  was  established  in  May,  1871.  The  amount  of  milk  received 
from  May  6  to  September  8  was  378,138  pounds;  amount  of  cheese 
manufactured,  36,625  pounds;  average  quantity  of  milk  required  for 
one  pound  of  cheese,  10.3  pounds;  average  value  of  cheese  at  the  fac- 
tory, 12J  cents  per  pound,  the  product  being  of  excellent  quality,  not- 
withstanding the  severe  drought  of  the  season.  The  superintendent, 
Mr.  J.  K.  Taylor,  says  that  it  must  be  conceded  that  Virginia  is  ad- 
mirably adapted  to  dairying,  and  that  the  production  of  milk,  butter, 
and  cheese  would  pay  the  farmers  of  the  State  vastly  better  than  the 
present  exhaustive  system  of  cropping  with  grain  and  tobacco. 

"  Mr.  Taylor,  reporting  on  the  sales  of  cheese,  butter,  milk,  and 
calves  from  his  dairy  of  eight  cows,  for  the  season  commencing  May 
7,  and  closing  December  12,  states  the  net  receipts  over  current  ex- 
penses at  $387.19,  averaging  $48.40  per  cow.  From  Mr.  T.  R.  Smith's 
dairy  of  ten  cows,  near  Lincoln,  Loudoun  County,  2640  pounds  of 
cheese  were  made  during  the  season  of  1871,  netting  $273.81.  Amount 
of  butter  made,  970  pounds,  bringing  an  average  price  of  30  cents  per 
pound ;  value  of  ten  calves,  $61.40  ;  average  return  per  cow,  without 
deduction  for  cost  of  manufacturing  butter,  $62.62.  Mr.  E.  J.  Smith's 
dairy,  near  Lincoln,  varying  from  ten  to  eleven  cows,  reports  an 
average  of  $46.03  per  cow  for  the  season,  without  deduction  for  cost 
of  making  butter.  Mr.  B.  W.  Welsh's  dairy,  near  Circleville,  in  the 
same  county,  reports  an  average  return  of  $43  per  cow. 

"  The  low  price  of  land  in  Virginia,  in  comparison  with  the  best 
dairy  districts  in  Pennsj'lvania  and  New  York,  the  abundance  and 
quality  of  grasses  in  the  best  locations,  the  length  of  the  grazing  sea- 
son, and  the  comparatively  small  amount  of  winter  forage  required, 
combine  to  render  the  business  profitable  here.  Improvement  in  the 
milking  qualities  of  cows,  and  a  better  acquaintance  with  their  proper 
management,  will  increase  the  cash  value  of  the  product  per  cow, 
which  is  now  comparatively  low." 

CLARKE  COUNTY,  VA. 

This  county  was  formed  in  1836  from  Frederick;  is  seventeen  miles 
long  and  fifteen  wide  ;  lies  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  great  valley 
of  Virginia,  between  Loudoun  and  Frederick — the  former  county 
forming  its  eastern  and  the  latter  its  western  boundaiy. 

The  Shenandoah  River  passes  through  the  southern  and  eastern 
portions  of  the  county  at  the  foot  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  the  Opequon 


57 


near  its  western  line.  The  county  is  intersected  by  a  number  of 
small  streams  which  furnish  water-power  for  manufacturing  purposes. 

For  its  area,  Clarke  probably  contains  more  fine  land  than  any 
county  in  the  State.  The  surface  is  beautifully  diversified;  the  soil 
is  based  on  blue  limestone,  with  a  fine  growth  of  timber,  and  is  very 
productive.  The  farms,  generally  large,  have  good  buildings,  and 
are  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  It  produces  large  crops  of  wheat, 
corn,  etc.,  and  is  a  fine  cattle  region.  The  census  of  1870  shows  the 
population  to  be  7655. 

When  reached  by  the  Washington  and  Ohio  R,ail  Road,  the  agri- 
cultural productions  of  this  rich  county,  and  its  deposit  of  valuable 
iron  ores,  will  materially  contribute  to  the  business  of  the  road  and 
the  prosperity  of  the  county.  The  Shenandoah  River  is  lined  with 
ores  of  a  superior  quality,  which  must  reach  tide-water  at  Alexan- 
dria, either  in  ore  or  pig  metal,  by  means  of  the  Washington  and 
Ohio  Rail  Road. 

These  deposits  are  on  the  line  of  the  railroad,  nineteen  miles  west  of 
Hamilton  Station  and  sixty-two  miles  from  Alexandria,  at  which  point 
the  iron  can  be  shipped  to  any  point  required.  The  Shannondale  Fur- 
nace, in  Jefferson  County,  is  on  these  deposits,  as  is  also  the  Shenan- 
doah Iron  Works,  in  Page  County,  which  recently  sold  for  $240,000. 

There  are  good  turnpikes  and  county  roads  in  all  directions.  The 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  passes  through  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  county.  It  has  a  depot  at  Wade's,  seven  miles  from  Berryville, 
and  one  at  Summit  Point,  in  the  adjoining  county  of  Jefferson,  about 
the  same  distance  from  Berryville. 

Berryville,  the  county  seat,  is  a  handsome  village,  centrally  lo- 
cated, and  commands  a  fine  view  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains;  is 
twelve  miles  east  from  Winchester,  and  sixty  miles  west  from  Alex- 
andria; contains  the  usual  county  buildings,  five  churches,  schools, 
machine  shop,  and  agricultural  works,  coach  factory,  wagon  makers, 
flour  and  grist  mills  (water  powers).  Population,  580.  Is  in  Battle- 
town  township,  which  contains  2464  inhabitants. 

The  stage  line  between  Hamilton  Station  and  Winchester  passes 
through  Clarke  County,  via  Berryville,  daily. 

Greenway  Court,  the  seat  of  the  late  Lord  Fairfax,  is  in  this 
county,  thirteen  miles  southeast  from  Winchester,  near  the  village  of 
White  Post.  Greenway  Court  was  recently  partially  destroyed  by  fire. 

Leaving  the  western  limit  of  Loudoun,  the  line  of  the  Washington 
and  Ohio  Rail  Road  enters  Clarke  County  at  the  summit  of  the 


58 


"  Blue  Ridge,"  and,  crossing  the  Shenandoah  River  at  Grigsby's 
Island,  runs  through  the  county  in  nearly  a  westerly  line  lor  fifteen 
miles. 

JEFFERSON  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Was  formed  in  1801  from  Berkley  County.  Its  mean  length  is  22 
miles,  breadth  12  miles.  The  Potomac  River  forms  its  northeastern 
border.  The  Shenandoah  enters  the  county  near  its  southeastern 
boundary,  and  flowing  in  a  northeastern  direction,  parallel  with  the 
"  Blue  Ridge,"  enters  the  Potomac  at  Harper's  Ferry. 

The  face  of  the  country  is  rolling,  and  the  soil  equal  in  fertility  to 
that  of  an}'  county  in  the  State.  This  county  is  thickly  settled,  highly 
improved,  and  wealth}'. 

Shepherdstown,  the  county  seat,  is  situated  on  the  Potomac  River, 
in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  county,  12  miles  above  Harper's  Ferry, 
and  contains  1389  inhabitants. 

Charlestown,  the  former  county  seat,  is  on  the  line  of  railroad  from 
Winchester  to  Harper's  Ferry,  8  miles  from  the  latter,  and  22  from 
the  former.  Is  a  pleasant  and  flourishing  town,  containing  1593  in- 
habitants. 

Harper's  Ferry  is  30  miles  from  Winchester,  57  miles  from  Washing- 
ton and  Alexandria,  and  81  from  Baltimore.  It  is  connected  by  rail 
with  Baltimore  and  Winchester.  Has  great  manufacturing  advantages. 
Until  the  year  1861  the  United  States  government  had  an  armory  and 
arsenal  in  operation  here,  but  being  destroyed  in  the  early  part  of  the 
war  (1861),  they  have  not  been  replaced. 

The  Shannondale  Springs,  on  the  Shenandoah  River,  near  the  "  Blue 
Ridge"  are  easy  of  access,  via  Charlestown,  from  which  place  they  are 
5  miles  distant. 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  runs  a  few  miles  south  of  the 
southern  line  of  Jefferson  County,  and  must  draw  largely  of  its  re- 
sources. According  to  the  census  of  1870  the  population  of  this 
county  is  16?562.    It  has  eleven  post-offices. 

FREDERICK  COUNTY,  VA., 

Lies  west  of  Clarke,  and  its  western  line  forms  the  eastern  boundary 
of  Hampshire  County,  West  Virginia.  It  was  created  in  1738,  is  about 
25  miles  long,  with  a  mean  width  of  18  miles ;  area  378  square  miles. 

The  Opequon,  Sleepy,  and  Back  Creeks  rise  in  this  county  and  flow 
into  the  Potomac.    The  principal  elevation  is  the  North  Mountain, 


59 


extending  along  the  west  border.  Is  one  of  the  most  wealthy  and 
highly  cultivated  counties  in  the  valley  of  Virginia.  Every  farm  in 
this  county  has  its  springs  or  stream.  Water  power  is  very  abundant, 
and  there  are  now  in  operation  about  sixty  flouring  mills,  several 
woollen  mills,  and  other  manufacturing  establishments.  Blue  lime- 
stone underlies  a  large  portion  of  the  surface.  There  are  75,000  acres 
of  limestone  land,  capable  of  producing  one  million  bushels  of  wheat ; 
eight  turnpike  roads  connect  these  with  the  town  of  Winchester, 
making  it  the  centre  for  this  whole  area,  and  likewise  a  depot,  to  a 
great  extent,  for  the  products  of  the  renowned  Shenandoah  Valley. 

Winchester  is  the  county  seat.  It  contains  4477  inhabitants  ;  is 
75  miles  from  Alexandria  and  Washington,  and  113  from  Baltimore; 
is  well  and  substantially  built ;  the  streets  cross  each  other  at  right 
angles,  and  are  generally  paved;  the  houses  are  mostly  built  of  brick  or 
stone.  It  has  churches  of  various  denominations  and  schools,  and  is 
a  delightful  place  of  residence.  Winchester  is  on  the  railroad  leading 
from  Baltimore  via  Harper's  Ferry,  to  Strasburg,  Shenandoah  County, 
1 9  miles  distant,  where  it  connects  with  the  Manassas  Branch  of  the 
Orange,  Alexandria,  and  Manassas  Rail  Road,  running  from  Alexan- 
dria to  Harrisonburg  in  Rockingham  County.  There  is  a  fine  McAdam- 
ized  turnpike  road  from  Winchester  to  Staunton,  via  Strasburg,  New 
Market,  and  Harrisonburg,  a  distance  of  95  miles  in  the  southwest. 

From  Clarke  County  the  route  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail 
Road  is  through  Frederick,  via  Winchester,  for  about  25  miles.  After 
leaving  Winchester,  the  line  passes  through  Petticoat  Gap  in  the 
Little  North  Mountain,  and  reaches  the  summit  of  the  Great  North 
Mountain  at  Lockhardt's  Gap  with  easy  grades,  thence  by  Capper's 
Spring  (now  called  Rock  Enon)  and  Capon  Spring  to  Hampshire 
County,  West  Virginia. 

The  importance  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  to  the 
town  of  Winchester  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  in  addition 
to  a  subscription  of  thirty  thousand  dollars  to  its  capital  stock,  the 
same  to  become  available  on  the  road  reaching  its  corporate  limits, 
its  town  council  have  granted  it  free  right  of  way  through  the  town, 
and  have  agreed  to  purchase,  without  cost  to  the  company,  land  within 
its  limits  sufficient  for  the  erection  of  repair  and  workshops. 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  will  here  connect  with  rail- 
ways, now  in  rapid  construction,  which  extend  through  that  valley 
into  the  States  of  North  Carolina,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  the  whole 
southwest.  It  is  besides  only  97  miles  east  of  the  great  coal  fields 
which  will  be  cut  through  by  the  main  line  of  the  road  all  the  way 
from  the  Alleghanies  to  the  Ohio  River. 


60 


Newtown  (Stephensburg)  is  a  neat  and  thriving  village,  8  miles 
south  of  Winchester,  on  the  McAdamizecl  road  to  Staunton,  and  con- 
tains G25  inhabitants.  Stephensburg  was  established  bylaw  in  1758, 
and  was  settled  almost  exclusively  by  Germans  whose  descendants 
long  preserved  the  customs  and  language  of  their  ancestors. 

Middletown  is  5  miles  south  of  Stephensburg,  on  the  Staunton 
Road,  the  finest  in  the  State. 

Jordan's  White  Sulphur  Springs  are  located  in  the  northeastern 
portion  of  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Shenandoah  5  miles  from  Win- 
chester, and  one  and  a  half  miles  from  Stephenson's  Depot  on  the 
Harper's  Ferry  and  Winchester  Branch  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road. 

Jordan's  is  a  place  of  great  resort,  and  has  accommodations  for 
several  hundred  visitors.  The  waters  resemble  the  celebrated  Green- 
brier White  Sulphur  Springs  of  Virginia. 

The  county  of  Frederick  has  seventeen  post  offices,  and,  according 
to  the  census  of  1870,  contains  a  population  of  17,221. 

HAMPSHIRE  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Lies  west  of  Frederick  County,  Virginia,  was  established  in  1754,  and 
prior  to  the  formation  of  Mineral  Count}'',  it  contained  an  area  of  850 
square  miles.  Hampshire  is  drained  by  the  north  and  south  branches 
of  the  Potomac,  the  Potomac  River,  and  the  great  Cacapon.  Its 
surface  is  occupied  by  the  valleys  and  ridges  of  the  Alleghany  chain 
of  mountains.  The  valleys  are  wide,  fertile,  and  well  improved. 
Hampshire  is  a  fine  grazing,  grain  farming,  and  wool  growing  county, 
and  contains  extensive  beds  of  coal  and  iron  ore.  The  streams  afford 
unsurpassed  water-power.  This  county  contains  over  500,000  acres 
of  arable  land,  of  which  about  one-fifth  are  under  cultivation.  These 
figures  include  Mineral  County,  recently  formed  out  of  it.  Prior  to 
this  the  assessed  value  of  farms  was  $4,000,000,  and  it  is  not  doubted 
that  a  much  larger  sum  could  now  be  obtained  for  them.  On  the 
authority  of  Mr.  Dodge,  of  the  United  States  Agricultural  Depart- 
ment, it  is  claimed  that  this  county  takes  the  lead  in  horses,  cows, 
corn,  buckwheat,  and  the  products  of  the  dairy;  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  its  prosperity  has  been  materially  assisted  and  enhanced  by  its 
proximity  to  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road. 

On  the  road  leading  from  Winchester,  a  few  miles  east  of  Romney, 


61 


there  is  a  deposit  of  glass  sand  found  in  a  gap  in  the  mountain.  An 
immense  amount  of  sand  rock  is  exposed  in  the  narrow  pass,  which, 
in  places,  is  very  soft  and  worn  by  the  elements  into  narrow  caves. 
In  parts  of  these  soft  places  the  sand  is  remarkably  white  and  pure, 
and  is  unquestionably  a  superior  article  for  glass  making. 

A  citizen  of  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  has  recently  purchased,  on 
northern  account,  a  body  of  land  in  this  county,  near  Rock  Enon 
Spring,  six  miles  in  length,  containing  a  deposit  of  the  best  quality 
of  iron  ore.  A  vein  of  16  feet  has  already  been  opened,  and  it  is 
expected  that  several  furnaces  will  shortly  be  in  operation.  Until  the 
Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  reaches  these  deposits  the  iron  will 
have  to  be  transported,  in  wagons,  to  Winchester,  a  distance  of  about 
15  miles,  and  it  will  pay  even  at  that. 

Romney,  the  count}'  seat,  is  a  thriving  town  on  the  south  branch 
of  the  Potomac,  in  the  heart  of  the  county,  40  miles  west  of  Win- 
chester. Is  reached  from  Green  Spring  Depot,  163  miles  from 
Baltimore,  and  New  Creek  Station,  201  miles  from  Baltimore,  by  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road.  Population  482.  The  Parkersburg 
Turnpike  passes  through  Romney. 

Capper's  Spring,  now  called  Rock  Enon,  on  the  west  side  of  North 
Mountain,  two  miles  from  Capon,  and  five  miles  nearer  Alexandria 
and  Washington  than  Capon,  is  second  to  none  in  the  State  for  its 
medicinal  qualities.  Though  yet  comparatively  little  known,  these 
springs  are  destined  to  rival,  successfully,  the  most  popular  of  the 
many  watering  places  of  Virginia. 

These  springs  have  been  recently  purchased  by  a  number  of 
gentlemen,  residing  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  by  whom  they  have 
been  refitted  and  put  in  fine  order  for  visitors.  The  extension  of  the 
Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  will  render  them  exceedingly 
valuable,  the  waters  being  highly  prized. 

"Capon  Springs"  are  in  the  productive  valley  of  the  Cacapon  River, 
on  the  west  side  of  the  North  Mountain,  30  miles  from  Winchester, 
and  one  mile  from  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  a  place  of 
great  resort  during  the  summer  months.  The  buildings  are  commo- 
dious, accommodating  one  thousand  visitors,  and  the  grounds  exten- 
sive. 

Ice  Mountain,  26  miles  northwest  from  Winchester,  is  a  curiosity 
worthy  of  mention.  At  the  western  base  of  the  mountain,  which  is  here 


62 


about  tOO  feet  high  and  veiy  precipitous,  is  an  area  of  100  3'ards  in 
length  and  a  breadth  of  30  feet  up  the  mountain  side,  covered  with 
loose  rocks,  undej  which  at  all  seasons  of  the  }rear  blocks  of  ice  of 
several  pounds  weight  may  be  found.  Butter  or  fresh  meats  are  pre- 
served here  almost  indefinitely.  At  the  base  of  this  bed  of  ice  flows 
a  spring  of  intensely  cold  water,  and  yet  these  rocks  are  exposed  to 
the  rays  of  the  sun  after  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

The  Hanging  Rocks,  near  Romney,  are  notable  curiosities.  Here 
the  river  has  cut  its  way  through  a  mountain  of  about  500  feet  in 
height.  The  boldness  of  the  rocks  and  the  wildness  of  the  scene  excite 
"awe  in  the  beholder." 

Gaudy's  Castle,  a  most  stupendous  work  of  nature,  was  so  named 
from  having  been  the  retreat  of  an  early  settler  when  pursued  by  the 
Indians. 

The  Tea  Table  is  about  10  miles  from  Caudy's  Castle.  This  table 
is  of  solid  rock,  and  presents  the  form  of  "  a  man's  hat  standing  on 
its  crown."  It  is  about  four  feet  in  height  and  the  same  in  diameter. 
From  the  top  issues  a  clear  stream  of  water  which  flows  over  the  brim 
on  all  sides  and  forms  a  fountain  of  exquisite  beauty. 

Coal  and  iron  abound  in  this  county. 

The  population  of  Hampshire  County  is  8125.  It  has  sixteen  post- 
offices. 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  passes  into  the  State  of  West 
Virginia  at  the  southern  edge  of  Hampshire  County,  and  that  a 
greater  increase  in  its  productive  wealth  and  resources  will  result 
from  its  establishment  on  its  lower  boundary  must  be  apparent  to  any 
one  conversant  with  the  vivifying  power  of  railroads. 

E.  Sheets,  Esq.,  of  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  writes  to  the  President 
of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  from  Boston,  under  date  of 
January  8, 1813,  as  follows:  "  Your  letter  of  the  3d  inst.  is  before  me, 
forwarded  from  Reading.  I  do  think  that  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road  will  be  one  of  the  best  paying  roads  in  this  country.  I 
would  offer  to  transport  at  least  150,000  tons  of  ore  and  material, 
yearly,  from  the  lands  I  hold  myself,  and  from  those  of  the  friends  for 
whom  I  am  acting."  The  lands  containing  this  deposit  of  iron  ore  lie 
near  Rock  Enon  Springs  in  this  county,  on  the  line  of  the  Washington 
and  Ohio  Rail  Road. 


63 


HARDY  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Was  formed  in  1786  from  Hampshire,  and  named  in  honor  of 
Samuel  Hardy,  a  member  of  Congress  from  1*783  to  1785.  Until 
its  limits  were  reduced  by  the  formation  of  Grant  County,  its  length 
was  42  miles,  and  its  breadth  11  miles.  It  adjoins  Hampshire  on  the 
south,  and  is  intersected  by  the  South  Branch  of  the  Potomac,  which, 
in  its  passage  through  the  county,  receives  two  affluents  called  the 
North  and  South  Forks  ;  it  is  also  drained  by  the  Cacapon  and  Lost 
Rivers.  The  surface  is  very  mountainous,  and  abounds  in  mineral 
wealth:  the  soil  of  the  valleys  is  very  fertile.  It  is  in  many  respects 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  counties  in  the  State  of  West  Virginia. 
It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  its  fecundity  is  becoming  proverbial,  and 
that  better  land  can  nowhere  be  found  in  the  United  States.  Is  par- 
ticularly famous  for  its  productiveness  as  a  corn  region.  On  the  river 
bottoms  lands  have  been  planted  for  consecutive  years  with  this  grain 
ever  since  the  advent  of  the  first  white  settlers,  and  the  Indians  are 
reported  to  have  raised  the  same  crop  upon  them  for  ages  previously. 
Notwithstanding  this  continuous  drain  upon  the  resources  of  the  soil, 
by  cropping  with  one  staple,  it  shows  no  sign  of  failing,  but  produces 
as  luxuriantly  now  as  it  did  one  hundred  years  ago.  With  a  highly 
productive  soil,  attractive  scenery,  splendid  cattle  and  horses,  a  kind 
and  hospitable  people,  it  cannot  but  entice  thousands  of  settlers  to 
its  borders. 

Cattle-feeding  is  the  chief  pursuit  of  the  farmers.  The  great* dis- 
tance from  market  renders  this  the  most  profitable  pursuit,  but  the 
Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  will  supply  the  much  needed  trans- 
portation, and  will  cause  this  valley  to  be  one  of  the  garden  spots  of 
our  country. 

At  the  Capon  iron  furnace,  about  four  miles  south  of  Wardensville, 
an  article  of  the  first  quality  is  manufactured,  which  is  sold  in  Phila- 
delphia for  boiler  making.  This  article  now  incurs  the  expense  of  16 
miles  wagon  transportation  to  the  railroad  at  Strasburg,  but  on  the 
Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  reaching  the  furnace  this  important 
item  will  be  saved  to  the  manufacturer.  The  ore  used  by  this  furnace 
is  a  continuation  of  the  Pennsylvania  Juniata  iron  ore  beds:  they 
have  been  long  worked  and  are  known  to  be  good. 

Moorefield,  the  county  seat,  is  a  town  of  considerable  ambition. 
It  contains  probably  1500  inhabitants,  and  has  one  of  the  finest 
hotels  in  the  Yalley  of  Virginia.  Is  pleasantly  situated  on  low 
ground  near  the  junction  of  the  South  Fork  with  the  South  Branch 


64 


of  the  Potomac,  contains  a  number  of  good  modern  style  buildings, 
and  a  number  in  course  of  erection.  The  situation  of  Moorefield,  with 
respect  to  the  surrounding  country,  will  inevitably  make  it  a  place  of 
considerable  commercial  importance. 

The  mountain  lands  are  generally  in  a  state  of  nature,  covered  with 
the  original  growth  of  timber.  This  whole  region  is  favored  with 
water  power.  All  the  streams  above  Moorefield  have  a  remarkably 
uniform  rapid  descent,  so  that  nearly  every  half  mile  would  furnish 
an  excellent  water  power  for  ordinary  purposes.  These  streams  are 
supplied  by  permanent  springs,  and  even  when  the  season  is  quite  dry 
there  is  an  ample  supply  of  water. 

Moorefield  is  2*7  miles  from  Romney,  in  Hampshire  County,  42 
miles  from  Franklin,  in  Pendleton  County,  and  132  miles  from  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 

Leaving  Capon  Springs,  in  Hampshire  County,  and  passing  through 
the  valley  to  a  point  one  and  a  half  miles  bej'ond  the  town  of  Wardens- 
ville,  in  this  county,  the  line  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road 
will  pass  through  Sandy  Ridge  by  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  pic- 
turesque gaps  in  the  mountains  of  Virginia.  Following  the  valley  of 
Lost  River  and  its  tributary  streams,  the  South  Branch  Mountain  is 
reached,  and  descending  the  western  slope  we  arrive  at  the  town  of 
Moorefield,  the  county  seat  of  Hardy,  in  the  great  South  Branch  val- 
ley. From  Moorefield  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  is  distant 
on  the  north  nearlv  50  miles,  and  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Rail  Road, 
the  nearest  on  the  south,  more  than  100  miles  distant. 

This  road  will  place  the  South  Branch  Yalley  11  miles  nearer  mar- 
ket, besides  saving  more  than  one-half  the  present  wagon  transporta- 
tion. By  a  branch  30  miles  long  from  Moorefield  to  Piedmont,  it 
shortens  the  distance  to  tide  water  for  the  Cumberland  coal  31  miles. 

Concerning  Lost  River,  Mr.  Dodge,  before  quoted,  says  : — 

"Lost  River  is  one  of  the  wonders  of  nature.  After  coursing 
through  a  fertile  valley  for  twenty-five  miles,  it  breaks  through  the 
Lost  River  Mountains  and  bursts  the  barriers  of  Timber  Ridge,  and 
then  encounters  a  new  obstacle  in  Sanely  Ridge,  which  it  passes  by  a 
curious  piece  of  fluvial  strategy,  mining  its  way  among  the  loose  rocks 
of  the  underlying  strata,  but  loses  itself  in  its  subterranean  meander- 
ings  of  three  miles,  coming  to  the  light  again  rather  in  the  capacity 
of  strong  springs  than  as  the  powerful  current  of  a  river  that  has  lost 
its  way,  to  become  anew  the  source  of  a  considerable  stream — the 
Cacapon." 

A  subscription  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  the 


65 


capital  stock  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  Company  is 
expected  from  this  county,  to  become  available  on  the  road  reaching 
its  border. 

Hardy  County  has  eight  post-offices,  and  a  population  of  5518. 

GRANT  COUNTY,  W.  VA, 

Was  formed  in  1868  from  Hardy,  and  named  in  honor  of  Gen.  Ulysses 
S.  Grant,  now  President  of  the  United  States.  It  lies  in  the  north- 
eastern portion  of  the  State,  and  joins  Hardy  on  the  west,  which 
county  it  resembles  in  its  general  features ;  is  a  small  county,  and 
divided  into  three  townships,  called  Grant,  Milroy,  and  Union ;  is 
watered  by  the  north  and  south  branches  of  the  Potomac  and  their 
tributaries.  The  surface  of  the  county  is  mountainous,  with  smooth 
valleys  and  table  lands ;  is  a  fine  corn-growing  and  cattle  region, 
producing  splendid  cattle  and  horses ;  is  intersected  by  the  north- 
western and  other  turnpikes. 

A  heavy  deposit  of  coal  exists  on  Red  Creek  and  also  on  Stoney 
River,  a  branch  of  the  north  branch  of  the  Potomac,  in  this  county. 
An  extensive  purchase  of  coal  lands  was  recently  made  in  this  vici- 
nity.   Population  in  1810,  446 T. 

Grant  Court  House,  the  county  seat,  is  centrally  located,  30 
miles  from  New  Creek  Station,  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  from 
which  point  the  distance  is  201  miles  to  Baltimore. 

Petersburg  is  a  smalltown  on  the  South  Branch ;  has  an  intelligent 
population,  churches,  and  schools. 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  will  enter  this  county  from 
Hardy,  and,  passing  through  it,  run  into  Tucker  County,  on  the 
west.  Grant  County  is  expected  to  subscribe  $100,000  to  the  capital 
stock  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  Company. 

PENDLETON  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Lies  on  the  eastern  line  of  the  State,  and  adjoins  the  rich  county  of 
Rockingham,  in  the  Vallejr  of  Yirginia.  Its  area  is  620  square  miles. 
It  is  intersected  by  the  south  branch  of  the  Potomac  River  and  two 
affluents  of  the  same,  called  the  north  and  south  forks,  and  b}^  head 
branches  of  the  James.  The  level  of  arable  land  from  whence  flow 
these  streams,  it  is  estimated,  exceeds  2000  feet  above  the  ocean. 

Pendleton  County  was  formed  in  IT 88,  and  received  its  name  from 
Edmund  Pendleton,  President  of  the  Virginia  Convention  in  1775. 

Although  quite  rugged  and  mountainous,  this  county  is  exceed- 


66 


ingly  productive.  Well-cultivated  and  highly  improved  farms  are 
seen  on  the  highest  levels.  The  soil  is  fertile  and  the  pasturage 
rich.  It  has  an  area  of  about  423,000  acres,  one-fifth  of  which  is 
under  cultivation. 

Pendleton  ranks  high  as  a  stock-raising  region,  and  in  the  produc- 
tion of  grain,  and  there  are  annually  produced  large  quantities  of 
maple  sugar. 

During  the  summer  months  cattle  are  often  driven  from  the 
southern  portions  of  the  State  to  the  mountain  regions  of  Pendleton, 
where,  being  freed  from  flies,  they  are  found  to  thrive  greatly. 

The  mountain  lands,  where  not  cleared,  are  generally  in  a  state  of 
nature,  being  covered  with  the  original  growth  of  timber.  The  pre- 
vailing kinds  are  oak,  ash,  hickory,  sugar-maple,  cherry,  walnut, 
locust,  chestnut,  white  pine,  poplar,  linn,  and  hemlock.  Much  of 
this  timber  is  very  superior,  and  suitable  for  ship  and  bridge 
building. 

There  are  Pennsylvania-German  settlements  in  several  portions  of 
the  county. 

Franklin  is  the  county  seat.  It  is  an  old-settled  town,  pleasantly 
situated  on  the  south  branch  of  the  Potomac,  42  miles  south  of 
Moorefield,  the  county  seat  of  Hardy,  about  40  miles  west  of  Har- 
risonburg, the  seat  of  Rockingham  County  (and  present  terminus  of 
the  Manassas  branch  of  the  Orange,  Alexandria,  and  Manassas  Rail 
Road),  and  35  or  40  miles  from  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Rail  Road, 
at  its  Buffalo  Gap  station.  Franklin  contains  about  300  inhabitants. 
The  usual  county  buildings  are  located  here ;  there  are  churches  and 
schools,  and.  the  people  are  kind  and  hospitable. 

There  is  a  very  fine  body  of  iron  ore  about  three  miles  east  of 
Franklin ;  it  occurs  in  quantity.  The  ore  is  a  very  good  hematite, 
and  is  famous  throughout  this  region  as  that  from  which  a  horseshoe 
was  forged ;  this  shoe  was  sent  to  Richmond  and  placed  in  the  State 
Cabinet. 

There  is  a  remarkably  good  water-power  about  three  miles  below 
Franklin,  which  is  supplied  by  the  Black  Thorn  branch,  a  bold  and 
never-failing  stream.  A  good  brick  merchant  mill  is  alwa}-s  in  ope- 
ration here. 

The  waters  of  Buffalo  Run  have  a  fall  of  twenty  to  twenty-five 
feet ;  supply  ample  and  permanent.  This  county  is  abundantly  sup- 
plied with  water-power  for  extensive  manufacturing  purposes. 

The  population  of  Pendleton  County,  according  to  the  census  of 
1870,  is  G455,  and  has  nine  post-offices. 

Should  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  not  tap  this  county. 


I 


67 

it  will  nevertheless  receive  beneficial  results  from  its  passage  through 
the  adjoining  counties  of  Hardy  and  Grant,  with  which  it  has  com- 
munication by  means  of  a  fine  road  along  the  South  Branch  Yalley. 

Notwithstanding  their  remoteness  from  market,  the  lands  along 
the  Valley  of  the  South  Branch  are  high,  ranging  from  twent}r  dol- 
lars per  acre  and  upwards;  but  on  the  mountain  ranges  there  are 
good  farming  lands,  splendidly  timbered,  which  can  be  purchased  at 
from  one  dollar  to  ten  dollars  per  acre,  and  in  some  cases  for  fifty 
cents  per  acre. 

Most  of  the  counties  already  mentioned  lie  in  what  is  termed  the 
"  Yalley  Group,"  concerning  which  it  is  said,  "  For  the  variety  and 
fertility  of  its  soils,  fine  water-power,  central  position,  salubrious 
and  delightful  climate,  beauty  and  grandeur  of  scenery  in  plain  and 
on  mountain,  it  can  literally  and  with  severity  of  truth  be  said  to  be 
unsurpassed,  if  equalled,  in  the  United  States,  or  as  a  farming  region 
in  which  to  make  homes  of  comfort,  opulence,  and  refinement."  A 
subscription  of  $56,000  to  the  stock  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road  Company  is  expected  from  Pendleton  County. 

TUCKER  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Adjoins  Grant  County  on  the  west;  is  sparsely  settled,  the  census  of 
1870  showing  a  population  of  1907.  It  is  divided  into  three  town- 
ships, called  Black  Fork,  Hannahsville,  and  Saint  George,  and  has 
seven  post-offices ;  is  drained  by  Cheat  River  and  its  branches,  which 
flows  through  it.  Its  mountains  are  the  Alleghany,  Cheat,  and  Laurel 
Hill.  Although  there  is  much  mountain  land  in  this  county,  it  is 
varied  with  rolling  upland  and  table  land  of  excellent  quality.  The 
valleys  are  generally  narrow,  but  fertile.  Lands  are  very  cheap,  and 
can  be  purchased  at  rates  largely  below  their  intrinsic  value. 

The  products  of  Tucker  County  are  wheat,  rye,  corn,  oats,  potatoes, 
maple  sugar,  molasses,  and  honey.  Juicy  grasses  abound,  and  large 
numbers  of  cattle  are  raised.  Good  pasturage  is  afforded  almost  to 
the  summit  of  the  mountains,  and  the  valleys  produce  excellent  corn 
and  wheat.  There  is  a  fine  region  of  country  on  the  branches  of 
Black  Water,  known  as  Canaan,  a  wilderness,  but  level  and  of  great 
fertility,  and  covered  with  the  heaviest  forests.  Coal  is  found  on 
Red  Creek,  in  this  count}',  which,  rising  near  the  summit  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies,  flows  westwardly  into  Cheat  River  or  rather  Dry  Fork.  This 
coal,  172|  miles  from  tide-water  at  Alexandria,  is  the  southern  out- 
crop of  the  detached  deposit  to  which  the  celebrated  George's  Creek 
coal  belongs. 


68 


The  Cambria  County,  Penns3rlvania,  iron  ore  beds,  so  extensively 
worked  at  Johnstown,  in  that  State,  are  believed  to  extend  into  this 
count}'  in  the  vicinity  and  south  of  St.  George's. 

Saint  George's  is  the  count}'  town,  about  twenty-five  miles  from 
Rowlesburg  station,  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  via  Cheat  River 
Yalley. 

Leaving  Grant  County  the  line  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail 
Road  enters  Tucker  County  on  its  southern  border,  and,  passing 
through  it  westwardly,  enters  Randolph  County. 

A  subscription  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  to  the  stock  of  the 
Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  Company  is  expected  from  this 
county. 

RANDOLPH  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Lies  west  of  Pendleton,  and  south  of  Tucker  and  Barbour,  all  of 
which  counties  it  adjoins. 

This  count}'  was  formed  in  1787,  from  Harrison,  which  was  created 
three  years  earlier.  Within  its  limits  are  several  parallel  ranges  of 
mountains,  with  their  intervening  valleys.  It  is  drained  by  Tygart's 
Valley  River,  Cheat  River,  and  their  numerous  tributaries.  On  these 
streams  are  large  tracts  of  timbered  and  arable  lands.  Much  of  the 
soil  of  the  mountains  is  rich,  and  it  abounds  in  slate,  freestone,  lime- 
stone, coal,  and  iron  ore,  and  salt  springs  are  numerous. 

Randolph  is  a  heavily  wooded  county.  It  has  large  areas  of  wild 
cherry  and  black  walnut,  and  in  such  abundance  that  farm  fences  are 
made  of  this  valuable  timber,  and  large  quantities  are  burned  in  order 
to  clear  the  land.  It  has  an  unusual  proportion  of  rich  valley  and 
smooth  upland,  the  Main  Cheat  and  Shaver's  Mountains  being  the 
only  rough  ridges.  The  bottom  land  on  Tygart's  Valley  River  is 
very  valuable.  It  is  also  a  fine  stock-raising  region.  Live  stock  of 
every  description  is  annually  exported  to  the  eastern  markets.  The 
forms  are  generally  well  improved,  and  new  farms  can  be  opened  at 
very  small  cost. 

In  it  there  is  a  very  superior  coal  for  making  gas,  at  a  distance  of 
102  miles  nearer  to  navigation,  via  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail 
Road,  than  the  gas  coal  which  is  so  extensively  carried  upon  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road.  The  distance  by  the  Washington 
and  Ohio  Rail  Road  to  the  Cumberland  coal  is  thirt}T-six  miles  less 
than  by  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road.   This  saving  of  distance. 


69 


and  consequently  of  time  and  cost  of  transportation  (of  such  an 
article  as  coal),  will,  of  itself,  secure  to  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road  an  unlimited  and  very  profitable  business. 

Jonathan  M.  Bennett,  Esq.,  for  many  years  the  auditor  of  the 
State  of  Virginia,  and  familiar  with  the  route  of  the  Washington 
and  Ohio  Rail  Road  through  West  Virginia,  says  : — 

uOn  the  Buckhannon  River,  in  Randolph  County,  there  is  land 
having  on  it  not  less  than  thirty  to  forty  poplar  trees  to  the  acre, 
thirty  of  which  will  measure  80  to  100  feet  each  to  the  first  limb, 
4  straight  as  a  gun-barrel,'  and  5  feet  through  at  the  butt.  At  other 
points,  where  cherry  trees  preponderate,  an  acre  can  be  selected 
having  on  it  twentjr  trees  which  will  measure  50  feet  to  the  first  limb, 
perfectly  straight,  and  3  feet  through  the  butt.  A  group  of  sugar 
maples  can  be  shown,  in  a  single  cove  in  the  mountains,  having  on  it 
not  less  than  five  thousand  trees.  In  1869,  in  passing  through  these 
woods,  I  crossed  a  poplar  tree  that  had  been  cut  down,  and  from 
curiosity  measured  it,  and  found  it  was  85  feet  to  the  first  limb,  and 
6  feet  across  the  stump  at  the  narrowest  part,  and  6  feet  2  inches  at 
the  widest,  and  it  was  by  no  means  the  largest  in  the  group ;  and 
whilst  I  did  not  measure  it  to  ascertain  the  fact,  it  was  apparently  as 
thick  at  the  first  limb  as  at  the  butt." 

In  the  summer  of  1869,  Professor  McFadden,  of  the  University  of 
Ohio,  passed  over  the  line  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road, 
and  from  his  letters  to  a  gentleman  in  the  State  of  Delaware,  the 
following,  relating  to  Randolph  County,  is  extracted: — 

"Rich  Mountain,  that  next  west  of  the  Alleghany,  between  the 
Dry  Fork  and  Laurel  Fork  of  Cheat  River,  is  rightly  named  from 
the  fertility  of  the  soil.  The  greater  part  of  it  could  be  brought 
under  cultivation.  It  is  now  covered  with  a  very  dense  and  heavy 
forest  of  maple,  oak,  ash,  walnut,  poplar,  etc.  The  trees  are  gene- 
rally large,  and  mostly  free  from  an  undergrowth  of  laurel.  The 
walnut  and  poplar  trees  are  not  very  numerous,  but  some  are  very 
large  and  valuable.  This  whole  region  will  be  very  valuable  for 
its  timber  and  for  farming  when  it  is  made  accessible  by  means  of 
the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road.  It  has  a  capacity  for  support- 
ing a  dense  population.  The  building  of  a  railroad  through  the 
valley  of  any  branch  of  Cheat  River  will  increase  the  present  value 
of  lands  from  three  to  twenty  fold. 

"These  lands  are  used  for  the  purpose  of  summer  grazing  cattle, 
and  the  whole  region  seems  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  growth  of 
grass.    The  climate  is  cool  and  moist,  which,  in  connection  with 
6 


70 


some  peculiarity  of  the  soil,  produces  a  luxuriant  growth  of  rich  and 
nutritious  grass.  The  region  is  also  abundantly  supplied  with 
springs  of  cool  and  never-failing  water.  Cattle  do  remarkably  well, 
and  the  milk  is  certainly  the  richest  and  best  I  ever  saw.  The 
country  on  the  head  waters  of  Cheat  River  is  destined  to  be  a  famous 
daily  region.  On  the  southern  end  of  Rich  Mountain,  there  is  land 
from  which  the  timber  was  cleared  in  the  spring  of  1868,  and  which 
produced  good  grass  the  same  year,  and  the  following  year  mowed  a 
heavy  crop  of  clover  and  timothy  without  stirring  the  soil  or  sowing 
a  seed.." 

Randolph  County  is  divided  into  nine  townships ;  contains, 
according  to  the  census  of  1870,  a  population  of  5563,  and  has  nine 
post-offices. 

Immigration  is  much  needed,  and  a  cordial  welcome  extended 
to  all. 

Beverty,  the  county  seat  of  Randolph,  contains  the  usual  county 
buildings,  churches,  and  schools.  It  lies  on  a  handsome  plain,  near 
Tygart's  Yalley  River,  and  has  about  500  inhabitants ;  is  centrally 
located  in  one  of  the  wildest  parts  of  Tygart's  Valley ;  is  fifty  miles 
from  Clarksburg,  an  important  town  in  Harrison  County,  forty-four 
miles  to  Webster  Station,  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  and,  by 
Staunton  turnpike,  sevemVy-nine  miles  to  Buffalo  Gap,  Chesapeake 
and  Ohio  Rail  Road. 

Mr.  James  M.  Brown,  a  practical  English  miner,  examined  the  coal 
lands  of  this  county,  and  his  letter  of  December  5,  1872,  is  herewith 
published. 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Railroad  enters  this  county  from 
Tucker,  and  passes  through  it  into  Upshur,  along  the  southern 
border  of  Barbour  County.  A  subscription  of  $50,000  is  expected 
from  this  county  to  the  capital  stock  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road  Company. 

BARBOUR  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Was  formed  in  1843,  and  named  from  the  distinguished  Virginia 
family  of  that  name.  It  lies  west  of  Tucker  County,  from  which  it  is 
separated  by  Laurel  Mountain.  It  is  30  miles  long  and  15  wide. 
The  eastern  part  is  mountainous,  the  western  hilly.  Much  of  the  soil 
is  fertile  and  adapted  to  grazing.  It  is  drained  by  Tygart's  Valley 
River  and  its  tributaries.  So  far  as  improved,  this  county  is  prolific 
in  crops" of  corn  and  in  cattle,  and  with  the  facilities  it  will  receive 
from  the  passage  through  it  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road 


71 


its  growth  will  be  substantial  and  rapid.  At  the  heads  of  Simpson's 
and  Elk  Creeks,  and  on  the  Buckhannon  and  Tygart's  Valley  Rivers  it 
is  thickly  settled.  Barbour  County  contains  many  well  improved 
farms:  coal  and  iron  in  abundance.  The  county  is  divided  into  seven 
townships,  has  eleven  post-offices,  and  10,312  population. 

Philippi  Court  House,  the  county  seat,  is  twenty  miles  southeast 
from  Clarksburg,  Harrison  county,  and  fourteen  miles  from  Webster 
Station  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  283  miles  from  Balti- 
more. It  enjoys  a  favorable  location  in  a  fertile  country  on  the  east 
side  of  Tygart's  Valley  River.  It  is  in  Philippi  township,  which  con- 
tains a  population  of  1605.  In  this  vicinity  there  is  an  abundance  of 
coal  and  iron  ore  of  an  excellent  quality. 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  crosses  this  county  on  its 
southern  boundary,  and  will  develop  coal  lands  of  great  value. 

UPSHUR  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Joins  Barbour  and  Harrison  on  the  north,  Lewis  County  on  the  west, 
and  Randolph  on  the  east.  It  is  watered  by  Buckhannon  River,  a  fork 
of  Tygart's  Valley  River,  and  the  head  branches  of  Elk  River.  This 
county  forms  the  first  bench  on  the  gradual  ascent  toward  the  moun- 
tains, the  Buckhannon  Fork  level  being  probably  250  feet  above  the 
head  valleys  of  Elk  Creek  and  Stone  Coal  Creek  immediately  adja- 
cent. Diversified  surface,  in  part  rough,  with  a  fair  proportion  rich, 
undulating,  and  gently  sloping,  embracing  some  fine  grazing  table 
lands  towards  head  waters.  It  contains  a  number  of  well  improved 
and  productive  farms,  and  of  bituminous  and  cannel  coals  and  iron 
ore  there  are  vast  quantities. 

Jonathan  M.  Bennett,  Esq.,  before  quoted,  says:  "  There  is  a  vein 
of  coal  on  Buckhannon  River  which  is  said  to  be  twelve  feet  thick,  and 
I  do  not  doubt  it  ;"  and  Col.  R.  L.  Brown,  formerly  a  member  of  tiie 
Virginia  Legislature  from  this  county,  in  a  late  letter  says  :  "  Speak- 
ing of  coal  fires  suggests  to  me  that  I  never  really  enjoyed  them  ex- 
cept in  this  country.  I  have  two  coal  banks  developed  within  300 
yards  of  my  dwelling  ;  supply  inexhaustible.  I  pay  one  cent  a  bushel 
for  digging,  and  haul  it  myself,  so  that  the  coal  I  consume  costs  but 
one  cent  per  bushel.  My  thirty-inch  grate  burns  out  two  and  a 
half  bushels  in  twenty-four  hours,  but  I  run  it  steadily  night  and  day. 
When  I  throw  the  coal  on  I  never  think  about  burning  money." 

Upshur  is  a  fine  cattle  county,  and  produces  abundantly  of  wheat, 
corn,  oats,  tobacco,  potatoes,  etc. 

Buckhannon  is  the  county  seat.  It  is  well  located  twenty-eight  miles 


72 


rom  Clarksburg  by  turnpike,  has  one  newspaper,  and  contains  475 
inhabitants.  The  usual  county  buildings  are  located  here,  also 
schools  and  churches. 

According  to  the  census  of  1870  the  county  contained  a  population 
of  8498.  The  people  are  kind  and  hospitable,  and  immigration  is 
greatly  desired.  Lands  are  cheap.  Some  well  improved  farms  can 
be  purchased  at  from  ten  to  fifteen  and  twenty  dollars  per  acre,  and 
good  farming  lands  without  improvements  at  one  to  three  dollars  per 
acre. 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  enters  this  county  from  Bar- 
bour, and  crosses  the  Buckhannon  River  at  the  town  of  Buckhannon, 
two  hundred  and  twenty-four  and  three-fourths  miles  from  Alexan- 
dria, into  the  county  of  Lewis. 

The  county  of  Upshur  has  already  subscribed  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  to  the  capital  stock  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail 
Road  Company,  said  subscription  to  be  available  on  the  road  reach- 
ing its  county  limits. 

BRAXTON  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Lies  west  of  and  adjoining  the  counties  of  Lewis,  Webster,  and  Up- 
shur. It  was  formed  in  1836,  and  received  its  name  from  Carter  Brax- 
ton, one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  American  Independence. 
It  is  drained  by  the  Little  Kanawha  and  Elk  Rivers  and  their  branches. 

The  country  is  generally  rough,  but  fertile  and  well  watered,  and 
contains  a  good  proportion  of  smooth  upland.  Like  the  other  conn- 
ties  in  the  State  of  West  Virginia,  Braxton  contains  a  considerable 
quantity  of  fine  timbered  lands  which  are  underlaid  with  coal  and 
iron.  Its  springs  are  valuable  for  their  medicinal  properties,  and 
with  the  facilities  it  will  enjoy  by  means  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road,  these  will  attract  the  health-seeking  from  the  Atlantic 
Coast  and  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Valleys.  About  one-eighth  of 
its  productive  lands  are  under  cultivation,  from  which  good  crops 
of  wheat,  corn,  oats,  potatoes,  tobacco,  etc.,  are  obtained.  Its  grass 
lands  are  capable  of  supporting  large  numbers  of  sheep  and  cattle, 
and  the  railroad  will  give  renewed  energy  to  this  branch  of  industry. 
The  manufacture  of  salt  received  attention  to  some  extent  at  Bulltown, 
in  this  county,  prior  to  the  war.  But  the  great  need  of  the  county  is 
immigration  and  capital,  and  these  ought  to  be  attracted  by  the  ad- 
vantages it  possesses.  It  has  a  fine  climate,  abundant  water-power 
for  manufacturing  and  other  purposes,  a  kind  and  industrious  popu- 
lation, and  the  immigrant  is  sure  to  meet  a  cordial  welcome. 


Lands  can  be  purchased  at  low  figures,  improved  farming  lands  at 
five  to  fifteen  dollars  per  acre,  and  unimproved  from  two  to  five  dol- 
lars per  acre. 

Braxton  County  has  eight  post-offices,  which  are  regularly  and 
promptly  served.    Population  6480. 

Sutton,  the  county  seat  of  Braxton,  is  accessible  from  Clarksburg, 
via  Weston,  Lewis  Co.,  sixty  miles  from  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail 
Road  on  the  north,  and  ninety  miles  from  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road  on  the  south. 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  occupying  a  central  posi- 
tion between  these,  will  drain  the  country  for  many  miles  on  either 
side  of  its  line,  and  afford  to  Braxton  County  the  means  of  increasing 
its  productions  and  wealth. 

WEBSTER  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Joins  Braxton,  Upshur,  and  Randolph  on  the  north  and  west;  is 
drained  by  the  head-waters  of  the  Elk  and  Gauley  Rivers,  and  pos- 
sesses excellent  pasturage.  It  is  sparsely  settled,  and  but  little  culti- 
vated. Its  lands  are  cheap,  and  offer  fine  opportunities  to  parties 
engaged  in  the  raising  of  stock. 

Webster  County  is  crossed  from  east  to  west  by  a  number  of  narrow 
parallel  valleys,  separated  by  high  ridges,  which  impede  communica- 
tion in  a  north  and  south  direction.  Good  roads  would  make  this 
an  attractive  country. 

This  county  is  well  supplied  with  deposits  of  bituminous  coal,  and 
shows  many  indications  of  iron  ore.  Salt  was  formerly  manufactured 
in  Webster,  and,  with  capital,  could  be  produced  in  paying  quantity. 

Webster  is  divided  into  three  townships,  viz.,  Fork  Lick,  Glade, 
and  Holly;  contains  H30  in  population,  and  has  eight  post-offices. 

Its  uplands  and  table-lands  of  good  surface  and  soil,  in  large  tracts, 
can  be  purchased  at  from  fifty  cents  to  one  dollar  and  a  half  per  acre. 
Unimproved  farms  in  the  valleys  at  from  $5  to  $10  per  acre. 

Addison  is  the  county  seat  (the  post-office  address  is  Webster  C.  H.), 
thirty  miles  from  Sutton,  the  court-house  of  Braxton  County. 

This  county,  although  not  touched  by  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road,  is  tributary  to  it,  and  will  receive  great  benefit  from  its 
passage  through  the  adjoining  counties. 


74 


LEWIS  COUNTY,  W.  VA, 

Is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Harrison  and  Doddridge,  west  by  Gil- 
mer, south  by  Braxton,  and  east  by  Upshur  County.  Is  watered  by 
the  west  fork  of  the  Monongahela  River  and  its  numerous  tributaries. 
Surface  hilly  and  rolling,  and  uniformly  fertile.  The  character  of 
its  lands  is  very  fine  for  farming  purposes.  Its  productions  are 
wheat,  Indian  corn,  oats,  tobacco,  potatoes,  hay,  etc.  It  ranks  high 
as  a  stock  raising  district,  having  ample  pasturage,  grazes  many  thou- 
t  sand  head  of  cattle,  and  is  a  very  thriving  county.  The  farms  are 
well  improved,  and,  as  in  the  counties  east  and  west  of  it,  the  people 
are  anxious  for  intelligent  immigration.  The  population  of  tins 
county  in  1870,  according  to  the  United  States  census,  was  11,286. 

Lewis  County  is  abundantly  supplied  with  water  power  for  manu- 
facturing purposes.  It  contains  vast  tracts  of  the  finest  timber,  and 
is  underlaid  with  beds  of  coal,  iron,  and  other  minerals.  By  means 
of  the  facilities  shortly  to  be  afforded  by  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road,  these  must  be  productive  of  great  wealth  to  the  country. 
This  county  presents  a  fine  field  to  the  enterprising  man  with  capital, 
with  the  certainty  of  liberal  returns  for  the  means  and  labor  expended. 

Weston,  the  county  seat  of  Lewis,  contains  a  population  of  about 
1200.  Is  a  well  located  and  growing  town,  containing  much  solid 
wealth.  The  West  Virginia  "  Hospital  for  the  Insane,"  a  large  and 
first  class  structure,  is  located  here.  One  newspaper,  the  "Weston 
Democrat,"  is  published  here. 

Passing  through  Upshur,  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road 
enters  Lewis,  and  runs  through  the  county  at  or  near  Weston  to  Gil- 
mer County. 

Lewis  County  is  expected  to  subscribe  two  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars to  the  stock  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  Company. 

HARRISON  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Was  created  in  1784,  and  named  in  honor  of  Benjamin  Harrison. 
Governor  of  Virgmia  from  1781  to  1784,  and  father  of  General  Wil- 
liam Henry  Harrison,  late  President  of  the  United  States. 

Harrison  is  north  of  .Lewis  and  Upshur,  and  binds  Taylor  and 
Barbour  Counties  on  the  east.  Is  finely  watered  b}T  the  west  fork  of 
the  Monongahela  River  and  its  tributary  streams.  The  surface  is 
rolling  and  hilly,  with  expansive  valleys.    The  soil  is  rich,  the  county 


75 


containing  many  highly  improved  farms.  The  timber  is  very  fine, 
and  water  power  abundant;  large  seams  of  bituminous  coal,  already 
developed;  also,  cannel  coal  and  iron  ore.  Salt  was  formerly  manu- 
factured at  Clarksburg.  The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  passes 
through  the  centre  of  this  county,  in  which  it  has  several  stations. 

Clarksburg,  the  county  seat,  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail 
Road,  is  three  hundred  and  one  miles  from  Baltimore,  and  eighty- 
two  from  Parkersburg  ;  contains  about  1500  inhabitants,  the  usual 
county  buildings,  churches,  and  schools  ;  is  beautifully  located  on  a 
plateau  at  the  junction  of  Elk  Creek  and  the  west  fork  of  the  Monon- 
gahela  River,  and  enjoys  the  advantages  derived  from  much  solid 
wealth  and  unsurpassed  natural  elements  of  growth  and  prosperity 
which  are,  as  yet,  but  partially  developed ;  has  a  bank  with  a  capital 
of  $100,000,  two  newspapers,  and  the  United  States  District  Court 
for  West  Virginia  holds  its  sessions  here. 

The  population  of  Harrison  County  is  16,114,  as  shown  by  the 
census  of  1810. 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  runs  near  the  southern  line 
of  Harrison  County,  and  will  open  that  part  of  the  county  which 
receives  little,  if  any,  advantage  from  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail 
Road. 

DODDRIDGE  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Adjoins  Harrison  and  Lewis  Counties  on  the  west ;  is  watered  by 
Middle  Island  Creek  and  Hughes'  River  and  branches;  surface  is 
rolling  and  hilly;  good  soil  and  valuable  timber ;  is  a  pastoral  and 
grain-producing  section ;  contains  7076  inhabitants ;  is  traversed  by 
the  northwestern  and  other  turnpikes.  The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail 
Road  has  six  stations  in  this  county.  Its  passage  is  through  the 
northern  portion  of  the  county. 

The  county  town  of  Doddridge  is  West  Union,  a  station  on  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  containing  600  inhabitants,  fifty-five 
and  a  half  miles  from  Parkersburg,  and  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven  from  Baltimore. 

Saint  Clair  Colony,  a  German  settlement,  is  fifteen  miles  south  of 
WTest  Union,  on  Cove  Creek. 

The  passage  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  through  the 
adjoining  counties  of  Lewis  and  Gilmer,  will  give  to  parties  residing 
along  the  southern  border  of  Doddridge  good  railroad  facilities, 


76 


and,  being  much  shorter  to  tide-water  than  the  existing  routes,  will 
contribute  to  the  wealth  and  importance  of  the  county. 

4 

GILMER  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Lies  west  of  Lewis  and  Braxton,  which  counties  it  adjoins.  Is  watered 
by  the  Little  Kanawha  River,  Steer,  Cedar,  and  Leading  Creeks,  and 
by  numerous  other  streams.  The  soil  is  rich  ;  surface  generally 
rolling  and  hilly,  with  some  fine  bottom  lands.  Gilmer  abounds  in 
timber,  coal,  and  iron,  and  has  fine  and  abundant  water  power  for 
manufacturing  purposes,  and  is  well  adapted  to  grazing.  Its  produc- 
tions are  wheat,  corn,  oats,  tobacco,  potatoes,  etc.,  and  stock  in  con- 
siderable quantity.  Is  divided  into  four  townships,  contains  4512 
inhabitants,  and  has  nine  post  offices. 

In  this  county  from  *75,000  to  80,000  acres  of  uncultivated  land  can 
be  obtained  in  a  single  tract,  at  a  low  price,  for  the  settlement  of 
immigrants,  who  can  enjoy  the  unrivalled  advantages  of  municipal 
government,  worshipping  at  their  own  altar,  and  educating  their  chil- 
dren in  their  own  way. 

Glenville  is  the  county  seat,  containing  a  population  of  300.  Is  15 
miles  from  Point  Pleasant,  250  from  Washington,  D.  C,  40  from 
Spencer,  Roane  County,  and  33  miles  from  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road  at  West  Union  Station.  Glenville  is  in  the  township  of 
that  name,  which  contains  1422  inhabitants. 

Leaving  the  western  limit  of  Lewis  County  the  Washington  and 
Ohio  Rail  Road  enters  Gilmer,  and  passing  through  it  by  Glenville, 
runs  into  Calhoun  County. 

Gilmer  County  has  subscribed  $t5,000  to  the  stock  of  the  Washing- 
ton and  Ohio  Rail  Road  Company,  which  will  become  available  on 
the  road  reaching  the  limits  of  the  county. 

CALHOUN  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Lies  west  of  Gilmer  and  Braxton;  the  Little  Kanawha,  its  west  fork 
and  Steer  Creek  are  the  principal  streams. 

This  county  covers  a  small  extent  of  territory,  and  is  devoted 
principally  to  the  raising  of  stock.  Its  lands  are  rich,  hill}',  and  roll- 
ing, and  its  productions  of  wheat,  corn,  oats,  tobacco,  etc.,  are  con- 
siderable ;  contains  fine  timbered  tracts,  good  water-powers,  and  the 
capacity  for  sustaining  a  considerable  population. 


77 

Is  divided  into  five  townships,  has  six  post-offices,  and  contains  a 
population  of  2961,  who  enjoy  the  advantages  of  churches  and  schools. 

Improved  lands  can  be  purchased  at  $5  to  $15  per  acre,  and  lands 
unimproved  at  $2  to  $5  per  acre.  Large  timbered  tracts  at  less 
prices. 

Grantsville  is  the  county  seat.  Is  accessible  from  the  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  Rail  Road,  via  Ellenboro  Station,  386  miles  from  Baltimore. 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  enters  Calhoun  from  Gilmer, 
and  passes  into  Roane  County. 

Like  Gilmer,  this  county  can  furnish  large  bodies  of  land  in  one  of 
the  most  healthy  countries  on  the  globe,  for  settlement  in  large  colo- 
nies, where  they  can  enjoy  their  own  municipal  government  and  free- 
dom in  religious  opinions. 

Calhoun  County  has  made  a  subscription  of  fifty  thousand  dollars 
to  the  stock  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  Company,  which 
will  become  available  on  the  road  reaching  its  border. 

ROANE  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Received  its  name  from  the  eminent  Virginia  family  of  that  name.  Is 
situated  on  the  west  boundary  of  Calhoun.  Wirt  County  lies  on  its 
north  line,  and  Jackson  binds  it  on  the  west.  Is  abundant^  watered 
by  Reedy  Creek,  Spring  Creek,  west  fork  of  Little  Kanawha  River, 
and  the  head  branches  of  Pocatalico  River. 

This  is  a  picturesque  region,  "full  of  wooded  hills  and  grassy  dales." 
Sheep,  cattle,  and  horses  are  largely  produced  in  this  county,  and  be- 
sides the  cereals  tobacco  and  fruit  are  extensive^  as  well  as  profitably 
cultivated. 

The  surface  is  hilly,  with  some  considerable  valleys  and  low  flat 
hills  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  count}-,  and  nearly  all  of  it  ex- 
ceedingly rich. 

This  is  also  a  fine  timbered  region.  Lands  cheap,  and  immigration 
desired.  Unimproved  lands  with  elegant  timber  can  be  purchased  at 
prices  ranging  from  $2  to  $5  per  acre.  Improved  lands  from  $7  to 
$15  per  acre.  Coal  and  iron  ore  abound  in  this  county,  and  with 
the  passage  through  Roane  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road, 
its  lands  will  advance  tenfold  over  present  prices.  Roane  County 
contains  7375  inhabitants;  twenty  years  ago  it  had  but  three  settlers. 
Is  divided  into  seven  townships,  has  eight  post-offices,  county  roads, 
schools,  and  churches. 

Spencer  (C.  II.)  is  the  county  seat,  contains  a  population  of  about 


73 


200.  Is  pleasantly  situated  in  Spring  Creek  Valley,  20  miles  from 
Little  Kanawha  River,  and  35  miles  from  Ravenswood  Landing  (Jack- 
son County  on  the  Ohio  River. 

From  Calhoun  the  route  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  is 
through  Roane,  near  California,  into  Jackson  County. 

A  subscription  of  sevent3r-five  thousand  dollars  to  the  capital  stock 
of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  Company  is  expected  from 
this  county. 

WSRT  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Lies  on  the  northern  boundaries  of  Calhoun,  Roane,  and  Jackson 
Counties.  Is  drained  by  the  Little  Kanawha  River  and  its  west  fork, 
Spring,  Reedy  and  Tucker  Creeks. 

The  surface  is  hilly  and  rolling,  with  fine  valley  lands  on  the  river 
and  creeks.  The  soil  is  rich  and  well  adapted  to  grazing  and  farming 
purposes.  Its  cereal  productions  are  large,  but  it  is  principally  noted 
for  the  oil  belt  which  extends  through  the  county.  The  oil  region 
"  about  Wirt  Court  House"  is  one  of  the  richest  in  the  country,  and 
is  known  as  the  "  Eternal  Centre,"  a  well  not  being  considered  good 
that  does  not  yield  300  barrels  a  day.  These  wells  are  numerous,  and 
are  capable  of  furnishing  freight  sufficient  for  the  support  of  a  rail- 
road. For  want  of  better  transportation,  these  oils  at  present  reach 
the  seaboard  by  means  of  the  Little  Kanawha  River  to  Parkersburg, 
Wood  County,  thence  by  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  to  Baltimore, 
384  miles  distant.  With  the  completion  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road,  this  valuable  product  will  reach  Alexandria  and  tide- 
water at  a  saving  of  about  10  miles  in  cost  of  transportation,  a  very 
important  item  to  parties  engaged  in  the  development  of  this  branch 
of  industry. 

Wirt  County  is  divided  into  seven  townships,  contains  4804  in- 
habitants, and  has  nine  post-offices;  at  one  of  these,  "Burning 
Springs,"  there  is  a  telegraph  line  to  Parkersburg. 

Elizabeth  is  the  county  town  (post-office  address  Wirt  C.  H.),  a 
pleasantly  located  and  active  village, twenty-two  miles  from  Parkers- 
burg,  and  ten  miles  from  Walker's  Station,  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail 
Road,  from  which  point  Baltimore  is  distant  by  rail  369  miles. 

JACKSON  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 


Was  formed  in  1831  from  parts  of  Mason,  Kanawha,  and  Wood 
Counties.  Its  length  is  thirty-three  miles,  and  its  mean  breadth  twenty- 


70 


four  miles.  Is  bounded  by  the  Ohio  River  on  the  west,  and  by  Wirt 
and  Roane  Counties  on  the  east. 

Is  watered  by  the  Ohio  River,  Big  Mill  Creek,  and  numerous  other 
streams.  The  surface  is  hilly  and  rolling.  Soils  good,  portions  of 
which  are  limestone.  Good  sized  bottoms  on  all  the  principal  streams, 
the  soils  of  which  are  of  the  first  quality.  Its  products  are  corn,  wheat, 
maple  syrup  in  large  quantities,  honey,  butter,  potatoes,  fruit,  and 
tobacco.  It  is  a  good  timber  and  coal  region,  and  large  numbers  of 
cattle  are  bred  and  grazed  in  it. 

Its  principal  landings  on  the  Ohio  River  are  Ravenswood  and 
Ripley  Landings. 

It  is  divided  into  five  townships,  and  contains  10,888  inhabitants. 

Ripley,  twelve  miles  from  the  Ohio  River,  is  the  court  house  or 
county  seat,  contains  300  inhabitants,  and  is  situated  in  Mill  Creek 
township,  which  has  a  population  of  2821.  The  county  town  is  a  smali 
but  active  place,  and  has  two  newspapers,  the  usual  county  buildings, 
with  churches  and  schools.    The  county  has  sixteen  post-offices. 

The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  enters  this  county  from  Roane, 
and,  passing  through  it  from  east  to  west,  runs  into  Mason  County. 

A  subscription  of  $100,000  to  the  stock  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road  Company  is  expected  from  this  county. 

MASON  COUNTY,  W.  VA., 

Was  formed  in  1804,  from  Kanawha  County,  and  received  its  name 
from  the  celebrated  statesman,  George  Mason,  the  framer  of  the  first 
constitution  of  Virginia,  the  author  of  the  first  Bill  of  Rights,  and 
a  member  of  the  convention  which  framed  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States. 

Mason  County  is  about  30  miles  long,  22  broad,  and  has  an  area 
of  300  square  miles.  The  Ohio  River  forms  its  western  boundary, 
the  counties  of  Jackson  and  Putnam  join  it  on  the  east  and  south, 
and  the  Great  Kanawha  River  passes  centrally  through  it.  It  has 
numerous  other  streams.  Is  a  wealthy  county,  is  intersected  by 
turnpikes  and  county  roads,  and  enjoys  the  advantages  of  several 
landings  on  its  80  miles  of  river  front.  It  has  one  hundred  miles  of 
bottom  lands  of  unsurpassed  fertility,  and  is  becoming,  from  its 
resources  and  its  advantageous  situation,  a  very  thriving  portion  of  the 
State.  This  county  presents  an  inviting  area  of  fine  farming  lands. 
Is  well  adapted  to  the  cereals,  and  produces  heavy  crops  of  wheat, 
corn,  oats, etc.  Is  a  fine  stock  raising  region,  of  which  its  exportations 
are  very  large.    Has  fine  timber,  which  is  underlaid  with  large  bodies 


80 


of  coal  and  iron  ore.  The  manufacture  of  salt  is  conducted  on  an 
extensive  scale,  and  this  business  can  and  ought  to  be  largely  increased. 

The  population  of  Mason  Count}'  is  20,811,  among  whieh  will  be 
found  immigrants  from  the  States  of  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Maryland, 
Kentucky,  and  New  York,  and  from  England,  Ireland,  Scotland,  and 
other  foreign  States.  It  has  19  post-offices,  and  is  divided  into  10 
townships. 

Mason  County  contains  several  important  villages  or  towns ;  of 
these,  Hartford  has  918  inhabitants,  New  Haven  489,  Point  Pleasant 
773,  Clifton  693,  Mason  1182,  and  West  Columbia  778. 

Several  newspapers  are  published  in  the  county. 

Point  Pleasant,  the  county-seat,  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Kanawha  River,  one  of  the  most  advantageous  locations  on  the  Ohio. 
It  has  two  newspapers  and  a  bank  with  a  large  capital,  and,  being  the 
western  terminus  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  will  become 
on  its  completion  the  great  point,  at  the  west,  for  receiving  and  ship- 
ping supplies  eastward  and  westward. 

DISTANCES  ON  THE  OHIO. 

From  Point  Pleasant  to  Huntington,  the  western  terminus  of  the 
Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  it  is  37  miles,  and  from  Point 
Pleasant  to  Parkersburg  and  Wheeling,  the  termini  of  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  it  is  76  and  170  miles,  respectively. 

A  subscription  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  the 
capital  stock  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  Company  is 
expected  from  Mason  County,  to  become  available  on  the  road  reach- 
ing the  limits  of  the  county. 


The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  is  not  equalled  in  shortness 
by  any  other  work  already  completed,  in  progress  or  contemplated, 
nor  is  it  necessarily  in  antagonism  to  any  other  work. 

This,  and  many  more  trunk  roads  from  the  Ohio  to  the  Atlantic 
waters,  are  absolute  public  necessities  for  transportation  across  the 
portage  between  the  rivers  of  the  great  vallej'  and  the  eastern  sea- 
board; they  are  as  indispensable  to  the  life  aud  growth  and  health  of 
the  country  as  arteries  are  to  the  human  body. 

This  great  valley  between  the  Alleghanies  and  the  Rocky  Mountains 
contains  five-eighths,  or  more,  of  the  sources  of  production  and  wealth 
of  the  United  States. 

These  resources  are,  as  yet,  only  in  the  beginning  of  their  develop- 
ment, and  that  on  no  more  than  a  fragment  of  their  surface. 


81 


If  so  vast  in  their  infanc}r,  what  will  their  maturity  be — and  who 
can  conjecture  any  limit  to  their  development  ? 

The  present  and  future  productions  of  this  region,  of  value  and 
extent  so  utterly  incalculable,  must  seek  the  Atlantic  coast  for  access 
to  the  wants  and  to  the  markets  of  the  Eastern  United  States,  of 
Europe,  and  of  the  Old  World,  from  whence  too  it  must  draw  the 
supplies  it  needs  from  them  in  exchange.  The  current  of  commerce 
must  be  eastward,  with  a  reflex  stream. 

Its  people,  too,  must  travel  eastward  in  the  direction  of  their  com- 
mercial interests,  and  the  streams  of  travel  to  and  fro,  between  the 
great  valley  and  the  eastern  border,  immense  already,  must  increase 
in  geometrical  progression. 

For  all  this,  transportation  is  needful.  This  transportation,  for  its 
people  and  products,  the  valley  must  and  will  have;  it  is  becoming, 
with  its  people,  the  living  and  great  question  of  the  day.  The  supply 
of  the  means  of  shipment  and  travel  is  the  limit  and  measure  of  their 
growth  and  prosperity. 

Let  any  one  take  the  statistics  of  surface  and  of  the  present  pro- 
duction, trade,  and  travel,  and  let  him  calculate  the  tonnage  of  freight 
now  to  be  moved,  and  the  number  of  persons  now  to  be  carried  each 
ivay.  Let  him  reckon  up  the  number  of  cars  needed,  and  the  time 
required  between  the  Ohio,  or  the  Lakes,  and  the  sea-board  ;  and  he 
will  see  that  the  lines  now  in  operation,  or  contemplated,  are  totally 
inadequate  to  the  wants  of  the  present  even.  Let  him  then  consider 
the  increase  of  population,  trade,  and  travel,  always  accruing  from 
every  addition  to  the  facilities  of  communication,  add  also  the  local 
interests  and  business  developed  on  the  lines  of  each  road,  and  the 
inquirer  will  see  that  there  is  work  for  every  line  now  built  or  con- 
templated, to  its  utmost  capacity,  and  for  five  times  more. 

So  far  from  this,  or  any  other  roads  which  connect  the  sea  and  the 
Ohio,  injuring  each  other,  they  help  each  other  by  multiplying  (as 
roads  with  such  termini  always  do),  the  general  demand  for  commu- 
nication. 

If  a  railroad  be  built  through  a  region  which,  before  that,  was 
amply  accommodated  by  a  tri-weekly  stage  for  travel,  and  by  farm 
wagons  for  freight — in  the  first  year  of  its  operation,  the  minimum 
daily  freight  and  travel,  over  the  railroad,  will  be  many  hundred  per 
cent,  over  the  maximum  of  the  days  before  it  was  built. 

It  is  a  law,  as  certain  as  those  of  nature,  that  every. work  of  the 
kind  creates,  as  well  as  supplies,  the  demand  for  it,  and,  if  the  area  for 
this  multiplication  be  sufficient,  the  road  must  prosper.    The  great 


82 


valley  furnishes  this  area  of  increase,  ample  for  all  the  roads  built  and 
contemplated. 

There  are  now  but  ten  through  lines  of  transportation  built  or  con- 
templated between  the  waters  of  the  valle}-  and  the  tide  waters  of  the 
Atlantic. 

1.  The  route  by  the  Great  Lakes,  and  through  Canada  to  the  St. 
Lawrence. 

2.  The  Erie  Canal,  in  New  York,  from  Lake  Erie,  at  Buffalo,  to  the 
city  of  New  York,  via  the  Hudson  River. 

3.  The  New  York  Central  Rail  Road,  touching  the  western  waters, 
on  Lake  Erie  at  Buffalo. 

4.  The  New  York  and  Erie  Rail  Road,  terminating  on  Lake  Erie, 
at  Dunkirk. 

5.  The  Sunbury  and  Erie  Rail  Road,  and  connections,  from  Erie, 
Pennsylvania,  on  Lake  Erie,  to  the  Delaware,  at  Philadelphia. 

6.  The  Pennsylvania  Central  Rail  Road,  from  the  Ohio  at  Pittsburg 
to  the  Delaware  at  Philadelphia. 

1.  The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  from  the  Ohio,  at  Wheeling 
and  Parkersburg,  to  the  arm  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay  at  Baltimore. 

8.  The  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  from  the  Ohio  at  Point 
Pleasant  to  the  Potomac  tide-water  at  Alexandria  and  Washington 
Cities. 

9.  The  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  from  the  Ohio  at  Hunt- 
ington to  the  James  River  at  Richmond,  and,  via  Rail  or  James 
River,  to  the  Bay  at  Norfolk. 

10.  South  of  these,  maybe  mentioned  the  Memphis  and  Charleston 
Rail  Road,  which  has  indirect  connection  with  the  great  west  from 
the  Mississippi,  at  Memphis,  to  the  city  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
on  the  Ashley  and  Cooper  Rivers. 

Of  these,  5  only,  the  Pennsylvania  Central  Rail  Road,  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  the 


83 


Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  and  the  Memphis  and  Charleston 
Rail  Road,  can  be  accessible  and  operative  for  western  freight,  all  the 
year  round/ 

The  other  5  are  inaccessible,  from  the  West,  by  water,  or  are  sus- 
pended entirely  during  4  or  5  months  of  ice  and  frost. 

So  that  there  are  but  5  outlets,  now  built,  or  in  progress,  by  which 
the  freight  of  the  great  valley  can  have  continuous,  sure,  and  certain 
transportation  during  each  of  the  365  days  of  the  year,  and  the 
Washington  and  Ohio  Bail  Road  is  one  of  these  five. 

The  Pennsylvania  Central,  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio,  the  Chesa- 
peake and  Ohio,  and  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  are  the  only  ones 
now  in  operation  of  the.  last  named  five,  and  their  full  capacity7  is 
taxed  to  its  utmost,  and  is  insufficient  for  their  local  trade,  and  for 
the  pressure  of  the  trade  of  the  west. 

Of  the  three  and  a  half  millions  (in  round  numbers)  of  square  miles 
in  the  United  States,  at  least  two  millions  lie  between  the  Alleghany 
and  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Of  the  thirty-eight  and  a  half  millions  of  population,  about  seven- 
teen millions  live  in  this  vallej',  and  the  average  increase  of  popula- 
tion in  the  States  and  Territories  therein,  in  ten  years,  has  ranged 
from  9  per  cent,  in  some,  to  520  per  cent,  in  others. 

This  whole  region  has  continuous  and  perpetual  water  fas  wTell  as 
railway)  communication  with  the  Virginia  side  of  the  Ohio  River,  and 
at  this  Virginia  shore  the  water  lines  of  the  valley  approach  the  tides 
of  the  Atlantic  more  nearly  than  at  any  other  point  on  the  continent, 
the  distance  from  Point  Pleasant,  the  western  terminus  of  the  Wash 
ington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  to  the  tide-water  of  the  Potomac,  at  Alex 
andria,  being  only  325  miles,  or  twenty-four  hours  portage  of  freight 

Point  Pleasant,  on  the  Ohio,  is  ahuays  accessible  to  steamers  and 
barges  without  interruption  from  low  water,  while  from  Alexandria, 
its  eastern  port,  with  a  depth  of  water  great  enough  for  men-of-war, 
there  is  an  open  way  to  the  ocean,  rarely  closed  by  ice,  and  then  only 
for  a  very  few  days  in  the  year. 

Western  freight  must  seek  that  route  which  is  the  most  certain  and 
cheap — which  involves  the  shortest  amount  of  railroad  carriage. 

Hence  it  must  concentrate  on  the  short  portage  of  but  a  single  day 
from  water  to  water  across  the  States  of  Virginia  and  West  Virginia, 
hy  the  Virginia  roads,  no  matter  what  may  be  its  ultimate  destination. 

It  must  get  from  water  to  water  as  quickly  and  cheaply  as  may  be. 

Can  it  be  said  that  any  one  or  two  roads  can  satisfy  this  demand, 
or  supply  these  wants  ? 


84 


From  these  data  it  can  be  mathematically  demonstrated  that  when 
the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  is  completed  to  the  Ohio  River, 
connecting  with  the  nine  hundred  and  odd  navigable  miles  of  that 
river,  and  through  it  with  the  network  of  navigable  waters  of  the 
great  valley,  as  well  as  with  its  railways,  and  becomes  the  shortest 
and  easiest  of  all  portages  between  these  western  waters  and  the  ocean, 
it  will  be  sure  of  profitable  employment  to  the  outside  limit  of  the 
capacity  of  any  first-class  road. 

A  torrent  of  trade  and  travel,  now  dammed  up  in  the  west  for  want 
of  adequate  and  cheap  transportation,  will  rush  over  the  Washington 
and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  and  over  any  other  road  on  this  short  portage 
seeking  the  shortest,  surest,  and  cheapest  route  to  the  sea. 

It  will  be  like  cutting  the  dykes,  like  a  crevasse  in  the  levee,  like 
tapping  the  furnace,  and  the  flood  will  well  nigh  overwhelm  the  cities 
at  the  eastern  terminus. 

Nor  let  it  be  forgotten  that  the  line  of  this  road  passes  through 
eighteen  of  the  best  counties  in  Virginia  and  West  Virginia,  traverses 
in  many  of  them  inexhaustible  deposits  of  coal  and  iron,  and  other 
minerals  of  commerce,  opens  up  vast  tracts  of  the  finest  timber  in  the 
Union,  besides  giving  a  market  to  the  grazing  and  grain  farms  along 
the  whole  325  miles  of  its  line.  Add  its  local  and  home  trade  to  the 
western  demand,  count  up  the  natural  increment  of  both,  and  what 
doubt  can  remain  that  this,  the  shortest,  cheapest,  and  easiest  transit 
from  water  to  water  will  be  one  of  the  most  successful  and  paying 
roads  in  the  land? 

With  but  ten  bars  to  the  gridiron  at  any  time,  with  but  five  of  these 
effective  at  all  times,  any  one  can  see  how  inadequate  are  the  present 
means  of  transportation,  how  greatly  this  inadequacy  checks  produc- 
tion, how  the  deficiency  retards  and  dwarfs  the  growth  of  the  west, 
and  how,  without  their  completion,  the  coal  and  iron  on  the  lines  con- 
templated must  continue  to  repose  in  the  sleep  which  has  been  undis- 
turbed since  the  creation,  the  silence  must  be  unbroken  by  the  sound 
of  the  factor}'',  and  the  water-power  flow  on  in  the  waste  which  has 
continued  for  centuries. 

Any  one  can  see  that  the  lines  now  in  operation  are  inadequate 
to  meet  the  increasing  wants,  and  that  this  road  and  more  are  needed. 

There  is  enough  employment  for  all  and  more  in  the  great  work  of 
multiplying  and  moving  the  productions  and  supplies  of  the  valley,  in 
meeting  that  demand  for  short,  cheap,  and  uninterrupted  transit 
which  is  ringing  throughout  the  west,  the  need  of  which  is  hourly 
pressing  upon  them,  and  in  a  measure  paralyzing  their  energies. 


85 


For  additional  information  as  to  the  value  of  the  country  traversed 
by  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  attention  is  called  to  the 
letters  of  M.  Bennett,  Esq.,  a  Senator  of  West  Virginia,  and  James 
M.  Brown,  Esq.,  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  The  latter  gentleman, 
a  practical  English  miner,  has  recently  returned  from  an  inspection 
of  the  counties  of  Randolph  and  Barbour. 

i 

State  of  West  Virginia,  • 
Senate  Chamber,  Charleston,  November  25,  1872. 

Hon.  L.  McKenzie, 

President  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  Alexandria,  Va. 

Dear  Sir:  Your  letter  of  the  7th  instant  was  received  just  as  I 
left  home  to  take  my  seat  here  as  a  Senator  of  West  Virginia,  and  I 
have  postponed  answering  it  in  order  that  I  might  the  better  inform 
myself  as  to  the  inquiries  you  made. 

The  natural  resources  along  the  line  of  your  road  from  Winchester 
to  the  Ohio  River,  in  Mason  County,  are  chiefty  iron,  limestone,  coal, 
salt,  timber,  and  water-powers. 

The  region  from  Winchester  to  the  Alleghany  Mountains  consti- 
tutes a  section  of  that  great  iron  belt,  which,  commencing  in  New 
York,  runs  in  a  southwest  direction,  passing  through  Pennsylvania, 
furnishing  many  of  the  largest  of  the  furnaces  of  that  State  with 
their  stocks ;  crosses  Maryland ;  enters  Virginia  with  the  Alle- 
ghanies,  forming  its  eastern  base  and  spurs  throughout  the  whole 
breadth  of  the  State,  and  extends  on  to  the  southwest.  In  this  belt, 
though,  ores,  for  the  most  part,  are  the  oxides  of  iron,  yielding  in 
Virginia  from  forty  to  fifty  per  cent,  of  iron  (hematite).  In  speaking 
of  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  in  which  Winchester  is  situated,  Prof. 
Rogers,  in  his  State  Geological  Report  of  Virginia,  says:  u  Of  the 
twelve  rocks,  each  marked  by  certain  distinctive  characters,  com- 
posing the  mountains  and  valleys  of  this  region,  it  has  been  deter- 
mined that  at  least  eight  are  accompanied  by  beds  of  iron  ore,  many 
of  which  yield  a  metal  of  the  finest  quality;"  while  Gen.  Haupt, 
Chief  Engineer  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley  Rail  Road,  in  speaking  of 
the  minerals  along  the  line  of  his  road,  which  runs  in  this  valley, 
says  that  "  Pennsylvania,  rich  as  she  is,  is  poor  in  iron  ores  as  com- 
pared with  Virginia."  Manjr  of  these  ores  have  been  worked  and 
well  proven  in  the  small  furnaces  of  this  region,  but  the}'  have 
never  done  a  large  business,  both  from  want  of  transportation  and 
because  they  had  to  look  to  charcoal  as  a  fuel ;  and  timber  is  too  soon 
stripped  from. the  immediate  vicinity  of  a  furnace  to  depend  upon  it 
as  a  smelting  agent  in  very  large  works.  For  this  latter  reason,, 
7 


86 


therefore,  these  ores  must  look  to  other  sources  for  their  reduction, 
and  most  naturally  will  they  turn  to  the  West  Virginia  coal,  as  it  is 
the  nearest,  as  well  as  of  the  most  excellent  and  superior  quality  for 
that  purpose. 

These  iron  ores,  which,  as  I  have  said,  yield  from  forty  to  fifty  per 
cent,  of  iron,  can  be  placed  on  the  cars  from  lands  contiguous  to 
your  road  at  from  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  to  two  dollars  per 
ton,  or,  if  a  furnace  is  on  the  property,  at  its  tunnel  head,  at  the  same 
rate.  The  Lake  Superior  and  Missouri  ores  cost,  delivered  in  Pitts- 
burg, thirteen  dollars  to  fourteen  dollars  per  ton. 

64  In  Hampshire  County,"  says  Professor  Rogers,  in  the  report 
before  referred  to,  "  upon  a  stratum  of  valuable  iron  not  less  than 
fifteen  feet  thick,  there  rests  a  bed  of  sandstone,  upon  which  reposes 
a  coal  seam  three  feet  thick,  above  this  another  bed  of  sandstone, 
then  a  two-foot  vein  of  coal,  then  sandstone,  then  another  coal  seam 
of  four  feet,  again  a  stratum  of  sandstone,  and  over  it  a  seven-foot 
vein  of  coal ;  over  this  a  heavy  bed  of  iron  ore,  and,  crowning  the 
series,  an  enormous  coal  seam  of  from  fifteen  feet  to  twenty  feet  in 
thickness." 

In  this  region  is  limestone  in  plenty  and  of  the  best  quality  for  use 
in  the  blast-furnace,  while  for  lime  and  hydraulic  cement  some  of  it 
ranks  very  high. 

From  Hardy  County,  inclusive,  your  road  runs  in  the  great  coal 
field  of  West  Virginia. 

What  else  is  needed  but  the  establishment  of  a  railroad  to  bring 
this  coal  and  iron  together,  and  to  take  the  manufactured  products 
to  market,  to  induce  the  establishment  of  large  and  extensive  blast- 
furnaces, rolling-mills,  machine-shops,  etc.  ? 

West  of  the  Alleghanies  is  a  country  of  simple  geological  struc- 
ture, belonging  to  the  coal  measures.  The  strata  dip  with  a  slight 
and  uniform  angle  towards  the  Valley  of  the  Ohio ;  everything 
bespeaks  it  to  have  been  at  one  time  an  expanded  plain,  which  was 
gently  tilted  from  the  horizontal  position.  The  form,  direction,  and 
character  of  both  hills  and  valleys  give  evidence  that  its  inequalities 
of  surface  were  caused  by  the  furrowing  action  of  a  mighty  and 
devastating  rush  of  waters,  which,  by  rapid  drainage,  scooped  out 
enormous  valleys  and  basins  in  the  upper  strata,  leaving  most  of  the 
coal-bearing  strata  (which  contain  all  the  varieties  of  coal,  save  lig- 
nite and  anthracite)  above  water-level,  and  making  thousands  of 
available  points  for  the  coal  miner  to  begin  operations  ;  whilst  the 
nearly  horizontal  position  alluded  to  keeps  whatever,  valuable  mine- 


87 


rals  maybe  in  the  ground  near  the  surface,  or  at  an  accessible  depth, 
over  enormously  wide  spaces  of  country. 

The  advantages  mining  will  derive  from  this  portion  of  the  coal 
above  water-level  will  be  plainly  seen  by  comparing  this  country  and 
Great  Britain  in  that  respect.  The  cost  of  sinking  shafts  in  the  New- 
castle region  of  that  country  to  one  thousand  feet  has  been,  in  many 
instances,  one  thousand  dollars  per  yard. 

In  the  great  northern  coal  fields  of  England,  producing  twenty 
millions  of  tons  of  coal  per  annum,  there  are  two  hundred  pits, 
costing,  for  first  outlay  for  sinking  and  machinery,  fifty  millions  of 
dollars,  to  which  must  be  added  the  necessary  expenses  in  main- 
taining air-courses,  etc.,  requisite  to  the  safety  of  the  employees. 
There  is  now  invested,  simply  in  pits  and  machinery  for  pumping  and 
hoisting  the  one  hundred  millions  of  tons  of  coal  produced  annually 
in  Great  Britain,  two  hundred  million  dollars,  and  this  vast  sum  is 
destined  to  utter  destruction  in  serving  the  purposes  for  which  it  is 
used. 

In  West  Virginia  the  mighty  natural  forces  to  which  I  have 
referred  have  already  sunk  all  necessary  pits  and  shafts,  which  need 
neither  repair  nor  renewal.  The  inclination  of  the  strata,  coupled 
with  the  laws  of  gravity,  have  provided  the  most  costless,  perfect, 
and  permanent  pumping  machinery,  and  the  perfect  ventilation  of  the 
mines  is  but  a  matter  of  the  most  ordinary  care. 

Owing  to  the  lack  of  communication  with  the  outside  world  of  the 
region  through  which  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  passes, 
there  have  been  heretofore  no  inducements  to  open  up  the  various 
seams  of  coal,  save  at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  or  where  they  may  be 
most  accessible  to  supply  neighborhood  demands,  and,  consequently, 
I  am  unable  to  give  you  details  as  to  individual  seams,  or  to  state 
the  thickness  of  the  thickest ;  but  I  may  state  that  the  celebrated 
Pittsburg  seam,  which,  at  Clarksburg,  in  the  adjoining  county  to 
Lewis,  measures  from  ten  to  twelve  feet,  has  been  traced  across  the 
line  of  your  road  by  Prof.  Rogers  ;  that  to  the  north,  in  Preston 
County,  seams  of  eight  to  ten  feet  have  been  proven,  while  in  Clay 
and  Nicholas  Counties,  to  the  south,  eight,  ten,  and  eleven-foot  ones 
have  been  opened,  though,  for  want  of  transportation,  not  yet 
worked. 

This  coal  and  iron  on  which  I  have  thus  dwelt  constitute  the  mine- 
ral wealth  of  the  country  along  the  line  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road. 

The  world's  demand  for  iron  exceeds  the  supply ;  the  prices  of  pig 
metal  within  the  last  twelve  months  have  risen  in  England  over  one 


88 


hundred  per  cent.,  and  in  this  country  have  put  the  price  up  to  fifty-six 
dollars.  Therefore,  on  the  market  for  iron  I  need  say  nothing,  but 
allow  me  to  call  }-our  attention  to  that  for  coal  in  the  West. 

By  means  of  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  the  coal  along 
its  line  will  be  brought  into  communication  with  the  great  Missis- 
sippi Yalle3r,  and  its  20,000  miles  of  navigable  waters,  and  its  system 
of  20,000  miles  of  railroad  now  in  successful  operation,  and  their  hun- 
dreds and  thousands  of  coal  burning  engines,  locomotives,  factories, 
furnaces,  and  machine  shops. 

These  rivers  and  railroads  wash  the  shores  and  traverse  the  coun- 
try of  sixteen  magnificent,  populous,  and  growing  States,  with  an 
area  of  one  million  square  miles,  and  minister  to  the  wants  of  ten 
millions  of  people. 

The  better  to  form  some  idea  of  this  mighty  western  countiy,  I 
would  state,  on  the  authority  of  a  pamphlet  issued  b}'  Messrs.  Fisk 
&  Hatch,  of  New  York,  in  the  interest  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio 
Rail  Road,  "That  the  tonnage  of  the  upper  Ohio  in  steamers,  barges, 
and  boats  exceeds  that  of  New  York  ;  and  that  of  the  Ohio,  as  esti- 
mated by  government  engineers,  exceeds  the  entire  foreign  commerce 
of  the  United  States." 

The  consumption  of  coal  throughout  the  West  was  increasing  be- 
fore the  war  at  the  rate  of  twenty-five  per  cent,  per  annum,  and  as  the 
growth  of  that  great  region  has  been  even  more  rapid  since  that  time 
in  population  and  wealth,  it  seems  fair  that  the  consumption  of  coal 
has  also  increased,  and  must  increase,  I  might  almost  say,  indefinitely. 

Again,  not  only  does  the  market  increase  by  increase  of  population, 
but  there  is  a  larger  demand  }'ear  by  3-ear  from  additions  and  im- 
provements in  the  arts  and  manufactures  ;  for  ever}'  new  invention  of 
a  labor-saving  machine  usually  implies  a  new  source  for  the  consump- 
tion of  coal,  either  directly  in  the  production  of  steam  to  run  that 
machine,  or  indirectly  in  producing  heat  or  steam  for  its  manufac- 
ture, and  ofttimes  for  both. 

The  salt  formation  extends  from  the  Ohio  toward  the  Alleghanies, 
but  from  lack  of  communication  with  market  it  has  been  heretofore 
but  little  explored,  and  its  limits  still  less  defined.  In  Mason  County, 
in  1870,  there  were  thirteen  furnaces  in  operation,  and  before  the  war 
the  manufacture  of  salt  was  carried  on  in  a  cheap  way  at  Bulltown, 
Braxton  County,  and  at  Addison,  in  Webster  Count}r. 

Its  manufacture  does  not  necessarily  require  a  large  capital,  as  the 
brine  is  obtained  by  putting  down  a  bore  till  it  reaches  salt  water, 
and  putting  in  a  small  pump  to  pump  it  into  reservoirs,  whence  it 
runs  into  the  evaporating  pans.    In  some  cases  the  brine  is  brought 


89 


up  by  the  gas  from  the  salt  formation  without  the  aid  of  pumps  ;  and 
when  ^his  is  the  case,  the  gas  is  collected  and  forms  a  portion  of  the 
fuel  by  which  the  salt  is  made. 

The  timber  along  the  line  of  your  road  is  fine,  and  particularly  so 
on  the  coal  measures  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  where  the  forests  are 
unique  in  their  magnificence.  After  spending  some  time  in  them  one 
does  not  appreciate  the  size  of  the  trees,  but  upon  leaving  the  coal 
strata  and  going  east,  the  trees  there  look  dwarfish  and  stunted  in 
comparison.  All  the  varieties  of  oak,  black  and  white  walnut,  wild 
cherry,  hickory,  poplar,  beech,  maple,  chestnut,  spruce,  pine,  etc.  etc., 
abound ;  white  oak  three  to  three  and  a  half  feet  in  diameter  and 
sixty  feet  to  the  first  limbs  ;  poplar  four  and  six  feet  through  and 
sixty  and  seventy  feet  to  the  crotch  ;  hickory  six  and  eight  feet  round 
and  sixt}^  feet  long,  and  the  other  timbers  on  the  same  magnificent 
scale  are  common,  while  in  Webster,  Randolph,  and  Pocahontas 
Counties  are  large  areas  of  wild  cherry  (so  highly  prized  by  cabinet- 
makers) four  feet  in  diameter,  seventy  and  eighty  feet  without  a  twig, 
and  straight  as  an  arrow.  In  some  of  these  counties,  owing;  to  their 
inaccessibility  to  market,  so  little  store  is  set  by  this  timber,  that  one 
sees  farm  fences  made  of  black  walnut  and  wild  cherry,  and  this  valu- 
able timber  is  burned  to  clear  the  land  for  small  fields. 

■  This  region  abounds  in  fine  water-powers  and  manufacturing  sites. 
The  value  of  this  will  be  better  appreciated  when  it  is  called  to  mind 
that  water-power  is  rated  and  paid  for  in  other  States  at  a  yearly  rent 
of  from  twenty  to  fifty  dollars  per  horse-power,  according  to  location 
and  demand. 

I  would  also  make  allusion  to  one  peculiar  feature  incident  to  the 
small  mountain  creeks,  which  certainly  can  be  found  at  but  few  other 
points.  It  is  the  use  that  can  so  easily  be  made  of  cheap  hydraulic 
means  for  lifting  and  handling  heavy  weights.  To  illustrate":  Many 
of  the  mountain  streams  can  be  turned  into  pipes  with  heads  of  (say) 
300  feet,  giving  a  pressure  of  (say)  125  pounds  per  square  inch.  Turn 
this  water  into  a  cylinder  on  a  piston  of  eighteen  inches,  and  allowing 
over  thirty  per  cent,  for  friction,  it  will  lift  ten  tons  weight,  and  it  can 
be  operated  by  any  one  who  can  turn  a  hydrant  cock. 

This  plan  can  be  adopted  in  a  hundred  ways  inexpensively,  and  with 
a  saving  of  labor  that  in  some  instances  amounts  to  a  fair  profit  in 
itself.  The  idea  of  thus  utilizing  the  water-mil  of  small  streams  in 
this  country  was  first  spoken  of,  I  believe,  by  the  Hon.  Howell  Fisher, 
M.  E.,  of  Pennsylvania. 

The  proposed  Northern  and  Southern  West  Virginia  Kail  Road 


90 


will  tap  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  at  Weston,  Lewis 
County. 

Along  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  there  is  enough  uncul- 
tivated land  in  Gilmer  and  Calhoun  Counties  for  the  settlement  of 
large  colonies ;  75,000  to  80,000  acres  may  be  obtained  in  a  single 
tract  for  these  purposes,  and  presents  the  unrivalled  advantages  of 
municipal  government.  They  can  worship  at  their  own  altar  and 
educate  their  children  by  their  own  teachers,  and  all  this  in  the  health- 
iest country  on  the  globe. 

Lewis  County  is  well  adapted  to  the  cereals,  but  lacking  lines  of 
communication  abroad.  We  graze  principally,  and  for  that  purpose 
there  is  no  better  land  in  the  United  States.  Grapes,  for  wine,  have 
recently  been  introduced,  and  succeed  admirably. 

The  other  counties  along  your  road  are  similarly  situated,  but,  with 
the  exception  of  Mason,  this  is  the  best. 

All  children,  who  so  desire,  are  educated  in  the  free  schools  at 
public  expense.  The  population  of  the  county  is  about  12,000 ;  it 
grazes  25,000  head  of  cattle  ;  has  sixteen  post-offices;  is  traversed 
with  turnpikes  and  good  wagon  roads ;  and  there  are  public  convey- 
ances  from  one  end  of  the  county  to  the  other.  Weston  is  the  county 
seat;  it  has  a  population  of  about  1600;  has  five  churches  and  an 
academy.  The  insane  asylum  is  also  situated  here  ;  it  has  a  frontage 
of  1235  feet,  and  will  cost,  when  completed,  one  million  dollars. 

Your  road  will  pass  through  the  great  petroleum  belt.  Some  wells 
near  the  line  are  now  being  worked,  yielding  in  the  aggregate,  per- 
haps, one  thousand  barrels  per  day.  With  improved  lines  of  trans- 
portation, such  as  your  road  will  furnish,  it  is  just  as  esxsy  to  produce 
ten  thousand  barrels  of  oil  per  day  as  one,  for  all  that  is  needed  is 
the  additional  labor. 

Much  of  the  information  here  given  was  obtained  from  Professor 
M.  F.  Maury,  Jr.,  Geologist,  etc.,  of  this  city.  Professor  Maury  is  a 
Fellow  of  the  Geological  Society  of  London,  and  a  Graduate  of  the 
Royal  School  of  Mines  of  England,  as  well  as  having  the  title  of 
C.E.  He  is  more  thoroughly  posted,  I  presume,  as  to  the  mineral, 
etc.,  wealth  of  this  State  than  any  other  person  within  our  borders, 
and  for  that  reason  I  have  drawn  largely  upon  his  store  of  information. 

Yours,  truly, 

J.  M.  BENNETT. 


91 


Pittston,  Pa.,  December  5,  1872. 

Hon.  Lewis  McKenzie, 

^President  of  W.  and  0.  B.  E.,  Alexandria,  Va. 
Sir:  I  have,  by  invitation,  been  on  a  visit  to  West  Virginia,  for 
the  purpose  of  examining  the  coal-fields  in  the  county  of  Randolph 
and  a  portion  of  Barbour  County.  The  coal  region  in  Randolph 
exceeds  anything  I  have  seen  in  this  or  any  other  country,  and  I 
have  seen  the  most  important  coal  districts  in  the  States,  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Nebraska.  My  acquaintance  with  bituminous  coal 
dates  back  to  my  eleventh  year,  and  my  experience  has  been  mostly 
in  the  counties  of  Northumberland  and  Durham,  and  in  Newcastle, 
England.  The  coal  veins,  too,  which  we  examined,  would  measure 
from  thirty  to  thirty-five- feet,  and  the  most  above  or  at  water  level, 
and,  I  may  add,  the  nearest  approach  to  the  quality  of  Newcastle 
coal  of  any  I  have  seen.  The  above  veins  would  yield  at  least  thirty 
thousand  tons  per  acre ;  fifty  acres  per  year  would  be  one  million 
five  hundred  thousand  tons.  The  company  that  sent  me  to  examine 
this  coal-field  have  about  four  thousand  acres,  which  is  but  a  small 
part  in  the  counties  above  named.  On  account  of  the  lateness  of 
the  season,  we  did  not  make  such  an  examination  of  the  iron  as  we 
would  like  to  have  done,  but,  I  have  no  doubt,  it  is  in  considerable 
quantity,  as  we  found  some  good  specimens.  The  timber  is  in  abund- 
ance, and  of  large  size  and  good  quality — white  and  yellow  poplar, 
cherry,  different  kinds  of  oak.  The  quality  of  the  soil  would  war- 
rant a  large  agricultural  production  of  any  kind;  limestone  in  abund- 
ance and  of  good  quality.  In  short,  the  above  counties  contain  all 
the  materials  to  make  any  community,  with  industry  and  sobriety, 
prosperous  and  wealthy.  More  might  be  said,  and  the  whole  not  yet 
told.  I  have  seen  a  notice  in  the  Christian  Union,  giving  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  material  on  the  line  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Rail 
Road.  Without  wishing  to  lessen  in  any  degree  what  is  stated  in 
regard  to  the  mineral  wealth  of  those  counties,  the  counties  of  Barbour 
and  Randolph,  in  particular,  far  surpass,  in  my  judgment,  in  coal 
and  iron  and  limestone,  anything  in  the  line  referred  to.  I  have 
lived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Coal  River,  in  Kanawha  County,  near  two 
years,  and  I  know  what  I  state.  As  I  have  stated,  the  land  and 
timber  alone  are  worth  the  attention  of  capitalists  and  the  poor  man 
wanting  a  home.  I  would  certainly  prefer  Western  Virginia,  with 
good  timber  and  good  soil,  with  good  water  and  a  healthy  climate,  to 
going  west.  I  have  no  interest  in  making  these  statements,  only  to 
state  what  I  have  seen  and  is  patent  to  any  man  of  experience  that 
wishes  to  see  for  himself.  Yours,  respectfully, 

JAMES  M.  BROWN. 


92 


The  following  article,  from  a  late  number  of  the  "  Rockingham  Regis- 
ter," confirms  the  testimony  (if  confirmation  were  necessar}')  of  Mr. 
Brown  in  relation  to  the  heavy  deposits  of  coal  in  Randolph  County. 
Jack  Mountain  runs  through  Pendleton  County  for  about  twenty 
miles,  and  passes  into  Highland  County,  Ya.,  on  the  south.  High- 
land was  formerly  a  part  of  Pendleton  County.  Doe  Hill  is  a  small 
settlement  in  Highland  County. 

Mineral  Wealth. — Southwest  of  Harrisonburg,  about  thirty-five 
to  forty  miles,  is  a  mountain,  known  as  Bull  Pasture  Mountain. 
This  mountain  runs  north  and  south,  and  is  composed  of  three 
ridges.  The  first  or  main  mountain  has  signs  of  iron  ore  to  some 
extent;  the  second  mountain,  or  ridge  of  Bull  Pasture,  is  found  to 
be  a  mountain  of  iron  ore,  or  what  is  known  as  hydrated  peroxyzed, 
or  brown  hematites.  In  many  places  this  ore  is  found  to  crop  out, 
and  present  a  breast  of  pure  hematite  of  not  less  than  200  yards 
wide,  and  extending  for  miles.  This  great  body  of  iron  ore  extends 
on  this  Bull  Pasture  Mountain  for  a  distance  of  some  twenty  miles; 
starting  at  Doe  Hill,  in  Highland  County,  running  south  some  twenty 
miles,  near  to  the  Bath  County  line ;  and  west  of  this  second  ridge  of 
the  Bull  Pasture  Mountain  adjoining,  is  the  third  ridge  of  mountain, 
which  is  composed  of  the  purest  limestone,  an  article  so  essential 
to  the  working  to  profit  of  this  vast  deposit  of  iron  ore.  Jack 
Mountain  contains  iron  in  as  great  quantities  as  the  middle  ridge  of 
the  Bull  Pasture  Mountain.  All  of  this  great  iron  deposit  is  well 
watered  by  the  streams  of  Cow  Pasture  and  Bull  Pasture  Rivers, 
with  other  live  streams  passing  on  west.  These  blossoms  of  iron  ex- 
tend to  the  county  of  Randolph,  West  Virginia,  or  near  the  head 
waters  of  the  Elk  River,  at  which  are  the  great  deposits  of  the  finest 
coal,  probably,  now  known  on  this  continent.  These  great  deposits 
of  the  fine  fatty  bituminous,  the  splint  and  the  cannel  coal,  are  found 
on  the  waters  of  Elk  River  in  great  abundance. 

The  distance  from  the  end  of  the  Orange,  Alexandria  and  Manassas 
Rail  Road  at  Harrisonburg,  to  the  vast  beds  of  iron  in  our  sister 
county,  is  only  about  forty  miles,  and  from  the  iron  deposits  we 
find  these  rich  coal-fields  only  some  forty  miles  west. — Rockingham 
Register. 


93 


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Distances  on  the  Washington  and  Ohio  Railroad  from  Alexandria. 

{From  Washington  by  the  present  junction  it  is  4  miles  f  urther.) 

To  Falls  Church   10£  miles. 

Vienna   15  " 

Hunter's  Mill     ........  18  " 

Thornton    .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .21  " 

Herndon     .   23£  " 

Guilford     .              .       .       .       .       .*      .  27  " 

Farm  well   31 

Leesburg   37£  " 

Clark's  Gap       .   41£  " 

Hamilton   44  " 

Purcellville   47^  " 

Round  Hill        .       .       .    '  .       .       .       .  50  " 

Snickersville      .......  54|  " 

Berryville   64  " 

Winchester   75  " 

Rock  Enon  Spring   90  " 

Capon  Springs    .       .       .    *   .       .       .       .95  " 

Baker's  Run                                                 .  lllf  " 

Summit  South  Branch  Mountain        .       .       .  120|  " 

Moorefield  .  131 1  " 

Petersburg   142^  " 

Summit  of  the  Alleghany  .....  1(36^  " 

Forks  Red  Creek  (Coal  Lands)  ....  I72f  " 

Buckhannon      .     •   224f  " 

Weston      .                                                 .  239f  " 

Glenville    .       .       .       ...       .       .       .  250  " 

Little  Kanawha  River   266f  " 

West  Fork  of  Little  Kanawha    ....  289|  " 

Sandyville   315|  " 

Point  Pleasant  (on  the  Ohio)     .       .       .       .  325  " 


96 


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97 

THE  ONLY  DIRECT  LINE 


TO 


The  Magnificent  Steamers  of 

THE  ALLAN  LINE 

Leave  Liverpool  every  alternate  Tuesday 

FOR  NORFOLK,  VIRGINIA, 

Calling  at  Queenstown  next  day. 

Cabin  Fare  to  Norfolk,  £18. 18  s  and  £15.  los. 
Intermediate  Cabin,  £9.  9s. 
Steerage,  £6.  Os. 

The  accommodations  of  these  Steamers  are  unsurpassed.  An 
experienced  Surgeon  is  attached  to  each  Steamer  and  Cabin.  Inter- 
mediate and  Steerage  Stewardesses  are  on  each  Steamer  for  the  pur- 
pose of  attending  to  the  wants  of  females  and  children. 

A  kind  reception  awaits  all  passengers  by  this  Line  to  Norfolk, 
and  females  and  children  destined  to  friends  in  the  interior  are  espe- 
cially cared  for  by  a  beneficial  society. 

THEOUGH  TICKETS  TO  ALL  EAILWAY  POINTS  IN  THE 
SOUTH,  SOUTHWEST,  AND  FAE  WEST,  CAN 
BE  OBTAINED  VIA  NOEFOLK. 

This  Route  is  the  Cheapest  to  Washington,  D.C., 
Alexandria,  Va.,  and  Stations  on  the 
Washington  &  Ohio  Railroad. 

For  further  information,  apply  to 

ALLAN  BROS.  &  CO.,  Liverpool, 
JAMES  &  ALEX.  ALLAN,  Glasgow, 
MONTGOMERY  &  GREENHOME,  London, 
JAMES  SCOTT  &  CO.,  Queenstown, 
Or  WILLIAM  LAMB,  Norfolk,  Va. 


98 


Statistics  of  the  Cumberland  Coal  Trade,  from  its  commencement. 
Compiled  from  official  sources  by  G.  Slack,  Mount  Savage,  Md. 

Table  No.  1.— Details  of  Production  of  1872. 


Name  of  Company  or  Mine. 


Consolidation  Coal  Company  

New  Central  Coal  Company  

George's  Creek  Coal  &  Iron  Co.  . 

American  Coal  Company  

Borden  Mining  Company  

Maryland  Coal  Company  

Hampshire  &  Bait.  Co.  (Midland) 
"  "  (National) 

"  (Va.Mines) 

Franklin  Coal  Company  

Virginia  Coal  and  Iron  Co  

Piedmont  Coal  and  Iron  Co  

Potomac  Coal  Company  

Atlantic  &  George's  CreekCoalCo. 

George's  Creek  Mining  Co  

Swanton  Mining  Company  

Lincoln  Coal  Company  

Midlothian  Coal  Compauy  

Spruce  Hill  Coal  Company  

Big  Vein  Coal  Company  

Barton  Coal  Company  


1872. 


To  B.  &  0 
R.  R. 


ton 
214 
125, 
192. 

99. 

9a 

us; 

5, 
2, 
121, 
103, 
85, 
78, 
72, 
55, 
47, 
41, 
17, 
10 


To  C.  &  To  Pen. 
O.  Can.  R.R. 


Local.  !  Total. 


Compared  with 
1871. 


In- 
crease. 


tons. 
23S,8S9 
147,349 

41,232 
127,766 
114,644 

80,  ISO 
2,963 

52,066 


11,023 


tons. 
18,670 


2,994 


261 
96 


tons. 
32,137 
137 


1,947 
108 
107  ' 

46  ! 


tons. 

504,132 

273,176 

233,360 

226,925 

210,274 

198,443 

184,943 

103,600 
85,441 
78,375 
72,637 
55,230 
47,827 
41,559 
17,S27 
10,374 
11.34S 


tons. 

273,176 
41,273 
1,271 
2,618 


22, 


23,153 
4,223 


38,263 
7,020 


De- 
crease. 


tons. 
1,395 


134,599 


662 
7,078 
7,402 

4,306 

£17,062 
20,315 
7S,S70 
31,478 


1,482,040 


816,103 


22,021 


34,807 


2,355,471 


413,980 
403,667 


403,667 


10.31S  incr'se 


Recapitulation. 


By  Cumberland  and  Pennsylvania  Railroad            to  B.  &  O.  R.  R.  1,202,858 

"           "         "           "                "                  to  C.  &  O.  Canal,  612,537 

"           "         "           "  •              "                   to  Penn.  R.  R.  22,021 

"           "         "           "                 "                   to  Local,  31,09S 

  1,918,514 

"  Cumberland  Branch  Road  to  B.  and  O.  R.  R.  22.S77 

"           "         "          "     to  C.  and  O.  Canal,  203,566 

"           "         "           "     to  Local,  3,709 

  230,152 

"  Hampshire  and  Baltimore  Co.  to  B.  and  O.  R.  R.  121,364 

"  Virginia  Coal  and  Iron  Company,  80,441 

Total  tons  in  1S72,  2,355,471 
1531  Tons  Gas  Coal  shipped  during  the  year  by  Canal. 


99 


The  Cumberland  Coal  Trade,  from  1842  to  187 '2,  inclusive-Zl  years. 

Table  2. 


Frostburg  Region. 


Piedmont 
Region. 


mberland  and  Pennsylvania 
R.  R. 


>ns 


&  a 
6$ 


757 
3,661 
5,156 
,13,738 
I  1,210 
20,615 
36,571 
33,676 
73, 7  S3 
.70,893 
2S,531 
50,381 
48,953 
,93,961 
86,991 
80,743 
18,018 
1:48,415 
70,669 
23.S7S 
71,745 
17.796 
',87,126 
181,297 
i92,93S 
523,031 
559,115 
)16,777 


109,511 
247,279 

283,956 


374,207 


3,167 
51,438 
40,357 
84,060 
63,731 
77,095 
80,387 
55,174 
166,712 
211,639 
232,278 
68,303 
75,006 
173,269 
191,120 
285,295 
291,019 
385,249 
424,406 
573,243 


520,196 
656, 0S5 
612,537 


Cumberland  Coal  &  Iron      G.  C. 
Co's  R.R. 


22,021 


5,330,966,22,021 


tons. 
757 
3,661 
5,156 
13,738 1 
11,240 
20,615 
36.571 
63,676 
76,950 
122,331 
174,S91 
234,441 
212,681 
171,056 
167,381 
135.917 
214,730 
260,054 
302,917 
92,181 
146,951 
291,065 
481,216 
669,592 
883,957 
1,008,2S0 
1, OSS,  521 
1,590,020 


1,429,70' 
1,903,364 
1,918,514 


=3W 


tons. 
951 
6,421 
9,734 
10,915 
18,555 
32,325 
43,000 
78,773 
119,023 
103,808 
139,925 
155. 27S 
173,580 
97,710 
121,945 
88,573 
66,009 
72,423 
80,500 
25,9S3 
41,096 
111,0S7 
67,676 
104,651 
52,521 
40,106 
100,345 
130,017 


S75 
31,510 
19,362 
70,535 
92,114 
100,691 
105,149 
54,000 
87,539 
86,203 
63,600 
29,296 
23,47S 
43,523 
64,522 
57,907 
52,159 
72,904 
57,919 
78, 90S 


,657  1,192,224  3,284,881 


tons.  I 
951 
6,421 
9,734| 
10,915 
18,555 
32,325' 
43,  COO 
78,773 
119,S9S 
135,348 
159, 2S7 
225,813 
265,694 
19S.401 
227,094 
142,573 
153,548 
15S,626 
144.100 
55,279 
64,574 
154,610 
132,198 
162,558 
101,410 
113,010 
158,264 
208,925 


Hanip. 
R.R. 


tons. 


Cumberland  Branch. 


114,404 

69,S64 
26.5S6 


83,9411  198,345 
194,254 1  264,118 
203,666  230,152 


13,727,194 


210,854    481,761  692,61c 


73,725 
181,303 
227,245 
269,210 
252.36S 
218,318 
257,740 
2S9.298 
85,554 
69,482 
266,430 


2,190,673 


Va.  C.  & 
I.  Co. 


28,035 
81,218 
85,441 


65,570 
42,765 
51; 
63,060 
46,934 
52,564 
36,660 
36,627 
36,240 
44,552 
71,345 
90,964 
72,532 
88,658 
83,724 


S3  ci 
03  p 

P 

.  S  '3 
— <  ~  2 

tons. 
1,708 
10.0S2 
14,890 
24,653 
29,795 
52,940 
79,571 
142,449 
192,806 
174,701 
268,459 
376,219 
503,836 
47S,4S6 
502,330 
465,912 
395,405 
426,512 
493,031 
172,075 
218,950 
531,553 
399,354 
560.293 
736,153 
735,669 
848,118 
1.230.51S 


60,988  1,112,938 
96,453  1,494,814 
121,364  *1,517,347 


1,163, 62S  14,191,564 


4,042 
82,978 
65,719 
157,760 
155,S45 
183,786 
204,120 
116,574 
254,251 
297,842 
295,878 
97,599 
9S,6S4 
216,792 
258,642 
343,202 
.343,1 7S 
458,153 
4S2.325 
652,151 


604,137 
850,339 
816,103 


7,040,100 


22,021 


tons. 
1,708 
10,082 
14,S90 
24,653 
29,795 
52,940 
79,571 
142,449 
196.S4S 
257,679 
334,178 
533,979 
659.6S1 
662,272 
706,450 
582.4S6 
649,656 
724,354 
7S8,909  • 
269,674 
317,634 
748.345 
657,996 
903,495 
1,079,331 
1,193,822 
1,330,443 
1,SS2,669 


1,717,075 
2,345,153 
2,355,471 

21,253,685 


Eludes  42,760  tons  used  on  line  of  Cumberland  and  Pennsylvania  Railroad  and  its  branches  and  at  Cumberland 
edniont;  also  277,194  tons  used  by  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  Company  in  Locomotives,  Rolling  Mills,  etc. 


100 

f  ttiM  mu\  WmtymW  §t4  f  witty 

OF  NORFOLK,  VIRGINIA. 


Hon.  JOHN  GOODE,  Jr.,  President. 

Col.  WALTER  H.  TAYLOR,  First  Vice-President. 

Hon.  W.  H.  BURROUGHS,     Second  " 

C.  SCHWARZKOPF,  Third  " 

JOHN  T.  SHANKS,  Gen.  Agt.  and  Corresponding  Secretary. 
FRANK  B.  DORNIN,  Treasurer. 


This  Society  was  organized  in  April,  1872,  and  had  its  origin  in  the  minds  and 
hearts  of  those  who  felt  its  importance  to  the  welfare  of  the  State  and  the  early 
introduction  of  capital  and  labor  in  the  State. 

Its  objects  are  to  encourage  immigration,  and  to  protect  and  assist  settlers 
in  their  rights  by  advice  and  deed.  The  General  Agent  of  the  Society  receives 
all  immigrants  arriving  at  this  port,  assists  them  in  obtaining  suitable  lodgings  at 
reasonable  prices.  If  they  go  beyond  the  city  he  attends  to  their  transportation, 
and  gives  them  information  as  to  the  best  routes  to  be  taken.  Persons  who  are 
sick  have  the  attention  of  a  competent  physician,  and  those  needing  special  atten- 
tion are  cared  for  by  the  Beneficial  Committee.  The  Information  Committee 
gives  information  in  reference  to  any  part  of  the  State. 

Auxiliary  Societies  are  being  formed  throughout  the  State,  and  persons  who 
desire  to  go  beyond  Norfolk  will  be  recommended  to  the  General  Agent  of  the 
particular  section  of  country  he  may  select.  By  means  of  these  Societies  persons 
coming  to  Virginia  have  in  every  portion  of  the  State  a  friend  and  counseller  to 
whom  they  may  go  for  advice.  The  members  of  the  Society  are  active  business 
men  from#every  occupation  and  profession ;  the  Board  of  Directors  and  officers 
are  men  of  character  and  standing,  many  of  whom  have  held,  and  now  hold, 
positions  of  honor  and  trust  in  the  State.  The  Society  is  not  engaged  in  the 
sale  of  real  estate.  No  fees  are  charged  for  services  rendered ;  it  is  purely  bene- 
ficial. 

The  city  of  Norfolk  is  on  Elizabeth  River,  eight  miles  from  Hampton  Roads, 
three  hundred  from  New  York,  one  hundred  and  eighty  from  Alexandria  and 
Baltimore.  It  contains  twenty  thousand  inhabitants — census  of  1870,  being  an 
increase  over  census  of  1860  of  thirty-three  per  cent.  Most  of  this  increase  is  since 
the  close  of  the  war,  1865.  The  waters  of  this  harbor  are  deep  enough  to  float 
the  Great  Eastern,  and  in  Hampton  Roads  all  the  shipping  of  America  could  ride 
with  ease.  It  has  communication  by  water  and  rail  daily  with  Washington  City, 
Alexandria,  Richmond,  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  New  York,  and  Boston.  By 
two  ship  canals  it  has  communication  with  the  whole  of  Eastern  North  Carolina. 
Railroads  running  south  tap  North  and  South  Carolina  and  Georgia.  Railroads 
running  west  tap  Southwestern  Virginia,  Tennessee,  Alabama.  Mississippi,  and 
the  far  West.  Other  routes  through  Central  and  Northern  Virginia  will  soon  be 
completed,  which  will  place  us  in  direct  connection  with  the  Great  Northwest 
and  the  Pacific  Coast.  The  trade  of  Norfolk  is  large  in  fish,  oysters,  naval 
stores,  grain,  and  lumber.  A  new  source  of  wealth  is  in  the  peanut  and  early 
vegetable  trade;  the  latter,  called  "Trucking,"  worth  annually  $2,000,000. 
The  cotton  trade  has  developed  wonderfully  since  1865.  Number  of  bales  in  that 
year  over  38,000;  in  1867-68,  187,000  bales;  in  1870-71,  302,000  bales.  This 
season,  1872-73,  it  will  be  much  larger  than  any  former  year,  and  there  is  every 
prospect  that  it  will  continue  to  increase. 


ALEXANDRIA  AND  FREDERICKSBURG  RAILWAY 

AND 

ALEXANDRIA  AND  WASHINGTON  RAILROAD. 


After  9.00  P.M.,  Friday,  Dec.  6,  1872,  trains  will  run  as  follows:— 
Leave  Southward:  Alexandria  and  Fredericksburg  Depot,  Alexandria,  at  8.16 
A.  M. 

Accommodation,  daily,  except  Sunday,  at  11.35  P.  M. 
Southern  Express,  daily,  except  Sunday. 

The  Southern  Express,  at  11.35  P.  M.,  runs  through  to  Richmond  without 
change,  connecting  with  trains  for  all  points  South. 

Leave  Northward  :  Alexandria  and  Fredericksburg  Depot,  Alexandria,  at  3.20 
A.M. 

Northern  Express,  daily,  except  Monday,  6.05  P.  M. 
Accommodation,  daily,  except  Sunday. 

The  Northern  Express,  leaving  at  3.20  A.  M.,  runs  through  to  Baltimore  with- 
out change.  Connecting  with  trains  on  the  Northern  Central  Railway  for  the 
North  and  West. 

Alexandria  and  Washington  Railroad—  After  9.00  P.  M.,  Friday,  Dec.  6,. 
1872,  trains  will  run  as  follows,  daily,  except  Sunday  : — 

Leave  for  Washington  at  St.  Asaph  Depot,  Alexandria,  at  5.38  A.  M.,  7.53 
A.  M.,  9.48  A.  M.,  12.43  P.  M.,  2.43  P.M.,  4.53  P.  M.,  and  6.53  P.  M.  Accommo- 
dation. 

Arrive  from  Washington  at  St.  Asaph  Depot,  Alexandria,  at  7.42  A.  M., 
9.27  A.  M.,  11.52  A.  M.,  2.17  P.  M.,  4.12  P.  M.,  6.37  P.  M.,  and  12.12  A.  M. 

Leave  Washington  for  Alexandria,  Passenger  Depot,  corner  Sixth  and  B 
Streets,  at  7.08  A.  M.,  8.53  A.  M.,  11.18  A.  M.,  1.43  P.  M.,  3.38  P.  M.,  6.03 
P.M.,  and  11.23  P.  M.  Accommodation. 

Alexandria  and  Fredericksburg  Railway  Trains  leave  Passenger  Depot, 
corner  Sixth  and  B  Streets,  Washington,  at  7.40  A.  M.  Accommodation  to 
Quantico,  and  11.00  P.  M.,  Southern  Express  for  Richmond,  and  all  points 
South. 

ED.  S.  YOUNG,  G,  P.  A, 


EDMUND  L.  DU  BARRY,  Supt. 


ORANGE,  ALEXANDRIA  AND  MANASSAS  RAILROAD. 

IDo-U-Tole  Trains  IDoiiry"- 


On  and  after  Wednesday,  January  1,  1873,  two  daily  passenger  trains  will 
run  between  WASHINGTON  and  LYNCHBURG,  effecting  double  daily  con- 
nections through  between  NEW  YORK  and  NEW  ORLEANS.  At  Gor- 
donsville  connection  is  made  by  mail  train  with  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Railroad 
daily  (Sunday  excepted)  to  Richmond,  Staunton,  and  the  West;  at  Lynchburg 
with  the  Atlantic,  Mississippi,  and  Ohio  Railroad  for  the  West  and  Southwest, 
and  at  Washington  for  the  North  and  Northwest. 

Leave  Washington  daily  at  7  A.  M.  and  6.45  P.  M.,  and  Alexandria  at  8  A.  M. 
and  7.45  P.  M.,  arriving  at  Lynchburg  at  4.50  P.  M.  and  4  A.  M. 

Leave  Lynchburg  at  9  A.M.  and  10  P.M.,  arrive  at  Alexandria  at  6.15  P.M. 
and  6.43  A.  M.,  and  at  Washington  at  7.15  P.  M.  and  7.30  A.  M. 

For  MANASSAS  DIVISION,  leave  Washington  daily  (excepting  Sunday) 
with  main  line  train  at  7  A.M.,  and  Alexandria  at  8  A.M.  Leave  Manassas 
Junction  at  9.30  A.  M.,  pass  Strasburg  at  1.16  P.  M.,  and  arrive  at  Harrison- 
burg at  4  P.M.;  connecting  with  Harmon  &  Co.'s  Stage  Lines  to  Staunton. 
Rawley  Springs,  etc.,  etc. 

Eastward,  leave  Harrisonburg  at  10.20  A.M.;  pass  Strasburg  at  1.22  P.  M., 
arrive  at  Manassas  Junction  at  4.50  P.  M.,  connecting  with  the  main  line  through 
to  Washington  and  the  North  and  West. 

Good  connections  by  comfortable  coaches  are  made  to  Fairfax  Court  House 
from  Fairfax  Station;  Middleburg  from  Plains;  to  Upperville  from  Piedmont 

Both  the  Eastward  and  Westward-bound  trains  make  close  connection  at 
Strasburg  with  the  Winchester  and  Strasburg  Railroad  to  Winchester  and  Har- 
per's Ferry. 

Elegant  sleeping  cars  are  run  daily  between  New  York  and  Lynchburg. 
Also,  cars  through  between  Baltimore  and  Lynchburg,  avoiding  the  inconve- 
nience of  transfer  in  Washington. 

Through  tickets  and  baggage  checked  to  all  prominent  points. 


J.  M.  BROADUS, 

General  Ticket  Agent. 


